Free Republic

CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - President Bush said in a television interview he does not think he received favorable treatment that allowed him to get into the Texas Air National Guard while many of his peers were drafted to fight in Vietnam. "No. I don't... I'm not aware of it," Bush said in the interview broadcast on Tuesday when asked whether family connections had helped him get a coveted place in the Guard. He cited comments by the former commander of his Guard unit, Walter "Buck" Staudt, who, according to Bush, "said the other day, publicly, I got no preferential treatment."...

“The subject started when (Bush’s) daddy ran for vice president, and it’s been going on ever since,” he said. “I don’t have much to tell. It’s simple to me. There was no political influence. That’s the truth.” more at http://herald-zeitung.com/story.lasso?ewcd=a52a42e53f6b2fed

Three weeks ago, New Braunfels resident Col. Walter Staudt became a national figure, albeit a silent one. Ever since he was named in a controversial memo CBS aired purporting to prove that President George W. Bush’s Texas Air National Guard service record was “sugar-coated” due to political pressure, Staudt has been bombarded by reporters wanting him to verify or disavow those claims. When the phone rings, he does not answer, and when someone comes to the door, he only opens it a crack. “I counted up to 40 calls last Monday, but I probably got 50 or 60 phone calls...

WASHINGTON - President Bush's father responded to a personal letter from his son's Texas Air National Guard unit commander soon after the younger Bush enlisted, according to documents released late Friday, fueling new claims from Democrats that he got special treatment. On Sept. 11, 1968, George H.W. Bush, then a congressman from Houston, wrote: "That a major general in the Air Force would take an interest in a brand new Air Force trainee made a big impression on me." The letter, in response to one from Maj. Gen. G.B. Greene, was released by the Pentagon along with other Bush military...

In a new blow to CBS anchor Dan Rather's credibility, the man who has supposedly exerted pressure to "sugarcoat" President Bush's National Guard record has spoken out — and says the story is dead wrong. "I never pressured anybody about George Bush because I had no reason to," retired Brigadier Gen. Walter Staudt, who headed Bush's unit in the Texas Air National Guard, told ABC News. The dubious documents that Rather used in a "60 Minutes" report last week that accused Bush of shirking his National Guard duty include a supposed Aug. 18, 1973, memo that claims Staudt was "pushing...

The man cited in media reports as having allegedly pressured others in the Texas Air National Guard to help George W. Bush is speaking out, telling ABC News in an exclusive interview that he never sought special treatment for Bush. Retired Col. Walter Staudt, who was brigadier general of Bush's unit in Texas, interviewed Bush for the Guard position and retired in March 1972. He was mentioned in one of the memos allegedly written by Lt. Col. Jerry Killian as having pressured Killian to assist Bush, though Bush supposedly was not meeting Guard standards. "I never pressured anybody about George...

Just heard it. Staudt has came forward and refuted every word of the docs. Bush was not given preferential treatment and He did not pressure to sugar coat anything. --- Need to look for more info, maybe its on ABC's site.. Guess the DNC needed to make sure Staudt was dead too.

ABC News has an exclusive interview with Col. Stoudt, the retired colonel who allegedly pressured Killian to cover for Lt. Bush during his Air National Guard stint according to forged documents aired by CBS News. Stoudt says the docs are fake, he never pressured Killian about Bush and he did nothing to help Bush get into the Air National Guard in fact he was happy to have as many pilots as he could.

President Bush's Former Commander: "He was an asset" LAST UPDATE: 9/12/2004 7:21:49 AM NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (AP) - The story goes that Col. Walter Staudt was so happy to have George W. Bush in his Texas Air National Guard unit in 1968 that he staged a pair of welcoming ceremonies to have his picture taken with the aspiring fighter pilot. But these days, Staudt, a retired air guard commander, isn't talking about any role he may have played in getting the future president a coveted pilot slot in Houston, far from the war in Vietnam. "I don't give interviews," Staudt...

During the 4:00 PST hour on Fox, Col. Earl W. (Forged as Hell) Lively was being interviewed. He was asked about Lt.Col. Staudt and confirmed that Staudt left the ANG 18 months prior to the Aug 73 forged Killian memo. Going further than I have seen before in print or on TV, he added that Staudt was not heard from again after he left and did NOT exert any pressure on anyone at his old job.

I Loves Me Some Microsoft Forger Microsoft Forger promises to take all the tedium and confusion out of drafting first-class political hoaxes. Why Did the Forger Incorrectly Believe Lt. Col. Staudt Was Still Serving in 1973? Distributed Intelligence May Tell Fresh Air comes up with a terrific catch. I will now post it and take all the credit and glory. "Interesting article I located. It appears the Boston Globe mistakenly said Staudt retired in 1975 during a story about the 1988 presidential race, in which Lloyd Bentsen's son was accused of using his connections to get into the TANG." --Fresh...

CBS Lies. Will Dan Rather Get Away With It This Time? Written by Doc Farmer Sunday, September 12, 2004 Last week, 60 Minutes The Sequel (This Time It's Personal) ran a hard-hitting no-hold-barred investigative report trashing President George W. Bush. This is the fourth or fifth time CBS News has done this. Normally, this is done in the fashion of taking Bush-bashing books being sold by a publisher owned by the parent company of CBS News (Viacom) and doing puffball interviews with the authors. This time, however, CBS decided to raise, ad nauseum, the already discredited canard regarding Dubya's National...

The Washington Times today notes, in an article about the forgeries, that Walter Straudt isn't returning calls from New Braunfels, Texas. I wonder if any enterprising newspaper or other organization has sent anyone out to his home to just ring the doorbell. Surely the old fashioned way of just going "Ding-Dong' Anybody home?" can still work.

The Washington Timeswww.washingtontimes.com Bush Guard papers 'forged'By Hugh AynesworthTHE WASHINGTON TIMESPublished September 12, 2004 DALLAS -- New information casts additional doubts about the authenticity of the memos purportedly written concerning President Bush by a former superior officer in the Texas Air National Guard in the 1970s, as Dan Rather and CBS News doggedly stuck to their guns defending the documents.     "They're forged as hell," said Earl W. Lively, 76, who during the era in question was director of Texas Air National Guard operations in Austin.     Mr. Lively said he had proof that Col. Walter "Buck" Staudt -- who supposedly forced...

AUSTIN, Texas — The man named in a disputed memo as exerting pressure to "sugarcoat" George W. Bush's military record left the Texas Air National Guard a year and a half before the memo supposedly was written, his service record shows. An order obtained by The Dallas Morning News shows that Col. Walter "Buck" Staudt was honorably discharged March 1, 1972. CBS News reported this week that a memo in which Staudt was described as interfering with officers' negative evaluations of the future president's service was dated Aug. 18, 1973. That added to mounting questions about the authenticity of documents...

Posted on Fri, Sep. 10, 2004 Man named in Bush memo left Guard before document was writtenBY PETE SLOVERThe Dallas Morning News AUSTIN, Texas - (KRT) - The man named in a disputed memo as exerting pressure to "sugar coat" President Bush's military record left the Texas Air National Guard a year and a half before the memo was supposedly written, his own service record shows.An order obtained by The Dallas Morning News shows that Col. Walter "Buck" Staudt was honorably discharged on March 1, 1972. CBS News reported this week that a memo in which Staudt was described...

Authenticity of note to 'sugar coat' Bush record is further questioned 10:57 PM CDT on Friday, September 10, 2004 By PETE SLOVER / The Dallas Morning News AUSTIN – The man named in a disputed memo as exerting pressure to "sugar coat" President Bush's military record left the Texas Air National Guard a year and a half before the memo was supposedly written, his own service record shows. An order obtained by The Dallas Morning News shows that Col. Walter "Buck" Staudt was honorably discharged on March 1, 1972. CBS News reported this week that a memo in which Col....

Man named in Bush memo left Guard before document was written BY PETE SLOVER The Dallas Morning News AUSTIN, Texas - (KRT) - The man named in a disputed memo as exerting pressure to "sugar coat" President Bush's military record left the Texas Air National Guard a year and a half before the memo was supposedly written, his own service record shows. An order obtained by The Dallas Morning News shows that Col. Walter "Buck" Staudt was honorably discharged on March 1, 1972. CBS News reported this week that a memo in which Staudt was described as interfering with officers'...

Posted on Fri, Sep. 10, 2004 Man named in Bush memo left Guard before document was written BY PETE SLOVER The Dallas Morning News AUSTIN, Texas - (KRT) - The man named in a disputed memo as exerting pressure to "sugar coat" President Bush's military record left the Texas Air National Guard a year and a half before the memo was supposedly written, his own service record shows. An order obtained by The Dallas Morning News shows that Col. Walter "Buck" Staudt was honorably discharged on March 1, 1972. CBS News reported this week that a memo in which Staudt...