And don't forget this:
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/Politics/Vote2004/bush_documents_040909-1.html
"Big Crybaby" <wah-wah!> wrote in message
news:41413d97$1_2@news4.uncensored-news.com...
<snip>
Don't forget this:
Democratic Group's Ad Revives "AWOL" Allegation Against Bush
"Texans for Truth" group features another Alabama Guardsman who doesn't
recall seeing Bush in 1972. Meanwhile, new evidence emerges that Bush got
preferential treatment.
September 8, 2004
Modified:September 9, 2004
Summary
An ad unveiled Sept. 8 by the Democratic-leaning group "Texans for Truth"
features a former officer in the Alabama Air National Guard saying neither
he nor his friends saw George W. Bush at their unit in 1972, when Bush was
temporarily assigned there.
The TV spot adds little to what was already known. Bush's pay records --
released nearly seven months earlier -- reflect a six-month gap in paid
attendance during a time when he was working on an Alabama Senate
campaign.
Meanwhile, new evidence emerged that Bush received preferential treatment
while serving in the Guard. In documents released Feb. 8 Bush's squadron
commander Lt. Col. Jerry B. Killian describes pressure from his superiors
to
give Bush a satisfactory performance rating despite Bush's failure to
attend
drills and failure to take a flight physical "as ordered." Killian died in
1984. His memos were first obtained by CBS News and afterward also
released
by the White House. (See "supporting documents" at right)
There were these other developments:
a.. A Boston Globe report Sept. 8 concluded that Bush "fell well short
of
meeting his military obligation" because of irregular attendance at Guard
drills. The Globe said Bush's superiors "could have disciplined him or
ordered him to active duty in 1972, 1973 or 1974. But they did neither."
b.. The Associated Press reported Sept. 8 that newly obtained records
show
Bush's Texas unit continued operating the type of airplane that Bush was
trained to fly until 1974, long after Bush's last flight in April 1972.
Bush
aides once suggested that a reason he stopped flying and later skipped a
flight physical, leading to his official grounding, was that his services
weren't needed because the F-102 Delta Dagger planes were being phased
out.
c.. The CBS program 60 Minutes aired an interview Sept. 8 with former
Texas Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes, who said he used his political influence to get
Bush into the Texas Air National Guard in 1968, when the Vietnam war was
raging. "I would describe it as preferential treatment," said Barnes, a
Democrat who is supporting Kerry. "We had a lot of young men that left and
went to Canada in the '60s and fled this country. But those that could get
in the Reserves, or those that could get in the National Guard -- chances
are they would not have to go to Vietnam."
Analysis
This ad is hardly more than a video news release. Its sponsors say they
plan
to air it mainly on cable-TV outlets in five states at a cost of
$110,000 --
a very light "buy." But it was already being aired on TV news programs
Sept.
8, long before its first scheduled appearance as a paid ad on Monday Sept.
13.
Texans for Truth Ad
"AWOL"
(Graphic: Was George W. Bush AWOL in Alabama?)
Bob Mintz : I heard George W. Bush get up there and say, "I served
in
the 187th Air National Guard in Montgomery, Alabama."
I said, "Really, that was my unit? And I don't remember seeing you
there." So I called my friends and said, "Did you know that George Bush
served in our unit?" and everyone said, "No I never saw him there."
(On screen: Tell us whom you served with Mr. President.)
Bob Mintz : It would be impossible not to be seen in a unit of that
size.
(On screen: George Bush has some explaining to do.)
Partisan Sponsorship
As might be imagined, the sponsoring organization is partisan. "Texans for
Truth" describes itself as an offshoot of an Austin-based group called
"DriveDemocracy.org," which in turn says it was "initially funded through
a
generous start-up grant from MoveOn.org," a liberal group dedicated to
defeating Bush. Texans for Truth spokesman Glenn W. Smith is described by
the Austin American-Statesman as a "long-time Democratic operative" and
"Moveon.org's man in Austin." He ran Democrat Tony Sanchez's 2002 campaign
for governor in the state.
In a conference call with reporters, Smith said initial funding for the TV
ad is coming from mostly small donors. The group hasn't yet filed any
financial disclosure statements.
"I never saw him"
The title of the ad is "AWOL" and a graphic on screen asks the question
"Was
George W. Bush AWOL in Alabama?" Then former Guard pilot Bob Mintz appears
saying "I don't remember seeing you there . . . I called my friends and
said, 'Did you know that George Bush served in our unit?' and everyone
said,
'No I never saw him there.'" Mintz adds that it would be "impossible" for
Bush not to have been seen.
In a telephone conference call with reporters, however, Mintz conceded
that
he is not certain whether he himself was present on the dates when pay
records show Bush being paid for drill attendance, and he volunteered that
he can't say that Bush failed to meet his military obligations:
Mintz: I can't say that he didn't do his duties, but I can say for sure
that I was there and I never met George Bush.
In the telephone conference, Mintz recalled that he and other bachelor
pilots were looking forward to meeting a new officer with "political
connections" whom they had heard was going to report to their Montgomery,
Alabama unit, the 187th Tactical Reconnaissance Group.
"We were anxious to meet the young lieutenant," Mintz said. But the new
arrival never showed, and Mintz says he put it out of his mind until
recently when he heard Bush say he had served in the same unit. Then he
called some friends, and none of them recalled seeing Bush there either.
The Six-month Gap
Mintz actually adds little to what had previously been known about a
six-month gap in Bush's service. The New York Times reported last February
that it had interviewed 16 retired officers, pilots and senior enlisted
men
who served at the unit and found none who recalled Bush attending drills.
Pay records released in February show Bush wasn't paid for any drills
between April 16, 1972 -- the last time he flew with his old unit in
Houston -- and October 28 and 29 of that year, just before the conclusion
of
the Alabama senatorial campaign in which Bush was working. He was also
paid
for Nov. 11, 12, 13 & 14, shortly after election day. The pay records
don't
indicate where Bush was on those dates, but Bush has also produced a
dental
examination record showing he was at the Alabama base on January 6, 1973.
Mintz conceded during the telephone conference that he wasn't sure if he
himself had been at the base on the specific dates Bush was paid in
October
and November, and said it was possible that Bush performed office work at
the base without his knowing it. By October Bush could only have been paid
for non -flying service because he had been officially grounded for
failing
to take a required flight physical.
The Squadron Commander: Bush's "failure to perform"
New evidence emerged Feb. 8 that Bush had received favored treatment
during
this period. In four memos obtained by CBS News, Bush's former squadron
commander in Houston describes Bush's desire to "get out of coming to
drill," Bush's refusal to take a flight physical "as ordered," and
subsequent pressure from an Air National Guard official to give Bush
favorable performance ratings despite his leaving the squadron with a
"critical" pilot vacancy and failing to perform to standards required of
pilots.
The author of the memos was then-Lieutenant Colonel Jerry B. Killian, who
died in 1984. CBS didn't say how it had obtained the documents. The White
House later released copies of the same memos.
The Killian memos:
a.. May 4, 1972: In a memo addressed to Bush, Killian says "you are
ordered to report" by May 14 "to conduct annual physical examination
(flight)" in accordance with regulations. Bush never showed up for that
exam.
b.. May 19, 1972: Five days after failing to report for the physical,
Killian wrote a memo regarding a telephone call Bush made to him.
"Discussed
options of how Bush can get out of coming to drill from now through
November. . . . We talked about him getting his flight physical situation
fixed before his date. Says he will do that in Alabama if he stays in
flight
status. . . . I advised him of our investment in him and his commitment"
(This is an apparent reference to the Guard's investment in Bush's flight
training, and Bush's signed commitment to attend drills and to serve a
full
six years in the Guard). Killian said he told Bush he would need a
written
document accepting Bush into an Alabama unit before he would approve a
transfer, and added, "think he's also talking to someone upstairs."
(emphasis added).
c.. August 1, 1972: "On this date I ordered that 1st Lt. Bush be
suspended
from flight status due to failure to perform to the USAF/TexANG (US Air
Force/Texas Air National Guard) standards and failure to meet annual
physical examination (flight) as required. . . . Officer (Bush) has made
no
attempt to meet his training certification or flight physical. . . . I
also suggested that we fill this critical billet with a more seasoned
pilot
from the list of Vietnam pilots that have rotated." (emphasis added).
d.. August 18, 1973: (a year later) Killian says Col. Buck Staudt, the
man
in charge of the Texas Air National Guard and a supporter of the Bush
family, is applying pressure to "sugar coat" the annual evaluation of
Bush.
"Staudt has obviously pressured (Bobby) Hodges (Killian's immediate
superior
in the Houston Guard unit) more about Bush. I'm having trouble running
interference and doing my job. (Lt. Col. William D.) Harris (another of
Bush's supervisors) gave me a message today (regarding Bush's annual
evaluation) Staudt is pushing to sugar coat it: Bush wasn't here during
rating period and I don't have any feedback from 187th in Alabama. I will
not rate. . . . I'll backdate but won't rate. Harris agrees." Bush's
annual
evaluation, signed by Harris and Killian, says "Lt. Bush has not been
observed at this unit during the period of report. " It is dated May 2,
though this new memo suggests that it was actually written later and the
date was falsified to dress up Bush's file as he was preparing to leave
the
Guard to attend graduate school. Killian was clearly not happy with the
situation: he wrote the subject of the memo was "CYA," military slang for
"cover your *****." (emphasis added).
The White House response to these memos came from White House
Communications
Director Dan Bartlett, as quoted by CBS:
Bartlett: At every step of the way, President Bush was meeting his
requirement. Granted permission to meet his requirement. And that's why
President Bush was honorably discharged.
Obligation Fulfilled?
Bush has always pointed to his honorable discharge as evidence that he
eventually made up any deficiencies in drill attendance and fulfilled at
least minimum requirements for service. But The Boston Globe reported
Sept.
8 that it had conducted a "reexamination of the records" and concluded
that
Bush failed to meet the commitments he signed in May 1968, and again
before
he transferred out of his unit in mid-1973 to attend Harvard Business
School.
Boston Globe: The reexamination of Bush's records by the Globe, along
with
interviews with military specialists who have reviewed regulations from
that
era, show that Bush's attendance at required training drills was so
irregular that his superiors could have disciplined him or ordered him to
active duty in 1972, 1973, or 1974. But they did neither.
The Globe contacted retired Lieutenant Colonel Albert C. Lloyd Jr., the
former Texas Air National Guard personnel chief who in February said the
records showed Bush had fulfilled his minimum obligations. This time Lloyd
agreed that Bush should have joined a reserve unit in the Boston area when
he moved to Cambridge in September 1973.
Lloyd: (Bush) took a chance that he could be called up for active duty.
But the war was winding down, and he probably knew that the Air Force was
not enforcing the penalty. . . . There were hundreds of guys like him who
did the same thing.
Actually, the Vietnam war was officially over by the time Bush went to
Harvard. The US and North Vietnam signed a cease-fire agreement in January
of 1973, and the last US combat troops came home in March (leaving only
advisers and Marines protecting US installations). The last person drafted
into the Army entered service June 30, 1973.
White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan disputed the Globe
conclusion:
McClellan: If the President had not fulfilled his commitment he would
not
have been honorably discharged. He was honorably discharged in October of
'73. The President is proud of his service in the National Guard. . . .
The
President met his commitments in Texas. He met his commitments in Alabama.
He met his commitments when he returned to Texas in 1973.
Q: Did he meet his commitments in Boston?
McClellan: As I said, Caren, if he had not fulfilled his commitments, he
would not have been honorably discharged.
Later in the day, the White House said Bush had been assigned to an Air
Force Obligated Ready Reserve unit in Denver, Colorado, -- as reflected by
previously released documents -- absolving him of any requirement to
report
for duty in Massachusetts. "These documents show the President fulfilled
his
obligations," said White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan, as quoted by
Reuters.
Still Flying in 1974
Separately, The Associated Press said it had obtained new records showing
that Bush's Houston unit continued to operate the F-102 Delta Dagger
aircraft long after Bush stopped flying in April 1972.
The AP said the Pentagon released the records under pressure from a
Freedom
of Information Act lawsuit, after previously saying it could not find
them.
The AP said the two dozen new pages of records show that Bush's Texas unit
flew the F-102A until 1974, and also used the jets as part of an air
defense
drill during 1972, despite a suggestion by Bush's 2000 campaign that he
had
skipped his medical exam in part because the F-102A was nearly obsolete.
The AP said the records also show that Bush ranked No. 22 in a class of 53
pilots when he finished his flight training at Moody Air Force Base in
Georgia in 1969. (That seemed to conflict with what Bush's flight
instructor, retired Col. Maurice H. Udell, was quoted by The Boston Globe
as
saying in 2000, when he said he would rank Bush "in the top 5 percent of
pilots I knew.")
The AP said the records reflect Bush logging a total of 326.4 hours as a
pilot and an additional 9.9 hours as a co-pilot. Of those, 278 hours were
in
the F-102A, including about 77 hours in the two-seat trainer version of
the
aircraft, the TF-102A.
How He Got In
Bush got into the Texas Air National Guard in 1968 when more than 16,000
Americans were dying in the Vietnam war, the deadliest year by far for US
troops. Five years ago former Texas Lieutenant Governor Ben Barnes issued
a
statement through his lawyer saying he had helped Bush get into the Guard
at
the request of a Bush family friend, a Houston oilman named Sidney Adger
who
has since died. In 1968 Bush's father was a Republican congressman and
Barnes was and remains a Democrat. Barnes said in his 1999 statement that
neither then-Congressman Bush nor any other member of the Bush family had
contacted him directly.
Now Barnes is talking more openly than in the past, saying he got Bush
into
the Guard while helping lots of "wealthy supporters" and "family names of
importance" get in, thereby avoiding conscription into combat.
Barnes granted his first public interview with CBS for its program 60
Minutes, which aired it Sept. 8.
Ben Barnes: I would describe it as preferential treatment. There were
hundreds of names on the list of people wanting to get into the Air
National
Guard or the Army National Guard . . . I think that would have been a
preference to anybody that didn't want to go to Vietnam or didn't want to
leave. We had a lot of young men that left and went to Canada in the '60s
and fled this country. But those that could get in the Reserves, or those
that could get in the National Guard - chances are they would not have to
go
to Vietnam.
Barnes is a partisan source: he is listed on Kerry's website as among
those
who have raised $100,000 or more for the campaign, acquiring the honorary
title of campaign "Vice Chair."
Earlier, Barnes spoke of his help for Bush at a rally staged by a
pro-Kerry
group in Austin, Texas on May 27th, and a video of his remarks was posted
on a pro-Kerry website June 25th.
Ben Barnes: I got a young man named George W. Bush in the National Guard
when I was Lieutenant Governor of Texas, and I'm not necessarily proud of
that, but I did it. And I got a lot of other people in the National Guard
because I thought that was what people should do when you're in office:
you
helped a lot of rich people. And I walked through the Vietnam Memorial the
other day and I looked at the names of the people that died in Vietnam ,
and
I became more ashamed of myself than I've ever been. Because it was the
worst thing I did, was help a lot of wealthy supporters and a lot of
people
who had family names of importance get in the National Guard. And I'm very
sorry of that, and I'm very ashamed. And I apologize to you as the voters
of
Texas.
(Note: Actually, what Barnes said could not have been strictly accurate.
He
was Speaker of the Texas House in 1968 when Bush entered Guard service,
and
wasn't sworn in as the state's Lieutenant Governor until 1969. However,
he
said in his 60 Minutes interview that he had helped get young men into the
Guard both as Speaker and as Lieutenant Governor.)
White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said the Barnes video
statement
was "discredited", according to The Associated Press :
McClellan: It is not surprising coming from a longtime partisan
Democrat.
The allegation was discredited by the commanding officer. This was fully
covered and addressed five years ago. It is nothing new.
McClellan may have been referring to a comment made in 1999 when Buck
Staudt, the former commander of the Texas Air National Guard, denied
helping
Bush jump ahead of others on the waiting list to get in. "Nobody did
anything for him," Staudt said in an interview, as quoted by the Los
Angeles
Times. "There was no ***** influence on his behalf. Neither his daddy
nor
anybody else got him into the Guard." Stuadt is the same man quoted in the
Killian memos as pushing to "sugar coat" Bush's performance evaluation in
1973.
Sources
Mark Memmott, "'Texans for Truth' ad challenges Bush on Guard service,"
USA
TODAY 8 Feb 2004.
David Barstow, "Seeking Memories of Bush At an Alabama Air Base," The New
York Times , 13 February 2004: A5.
Walter V. Robinson and The Globe Spotlight Team, " Bush fell short on duty
at Guard ; Records show pledges unmet," The Boston Globe 8 Sep 2004: A1.
"Press Briefing by Scott McClellan," White House news release, 8 Feb 2004.
Greg Frost, "New Questions Raised on Bush Military Record," Reuters, 8 Sep
2004.
"New Questions On Bush Guard Duty," CBS News 60 Minutes 8 Feb 2004.
"New Campaign Kicks Off With TV Ad Spotlighting Bush Absence From Alabama
National Guard" News Release, Texans for Truth, 8 Sep 2004.
September 8, 2004, Wednesday, BC cycle
Matt Kelly, "Lawsuit prompts release of new records showing Bush grades as
Guard pilot," The Associated Press 8 Sep 2004.
"Parties plan to be persuasive," Austin American-Statesman 13 Dec 2003:
B2.
Ben Barnes, "on getting Bush into the National Guard," video,
Austin4Kerry.org, taped 25 May 2004.
"The Kerry Campaign Release Updated Top Fundraisers : JohnKerry.com is
tops
with $20 million raised in 2004," John Kerry for President, news release
19
March 2004.
Bobby Ross Jr., "Ex-Lawmaker Regrets Helping Bush In Guard," The
Associated
Press, 29 August 2004.
Richard A. Serrano, "Bush Received Quick Air Guard Commission," Los
Angeles
Times, 4 July 1999: A1.
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