CNN: McCauliffe just said Chimp was AWOL, but not a deserter.

[Bonobo]

Blitz Wolfer is incredulous!

Gillespie trying to spin...

I think this story has legs!!!

[annagull]

1. More! More! More!

Details!?

[GinaMaria]

35. or Moore, Moore, Moore

just a little joke since MM seems to have gotten this ball rolling.

[NeoConsSuck]

81. Here's a little more..

For anyone that has Flash installed:

http://www.ericblumrich.com/topgun.html

[Bozita]

100. WOW, that was superb!

Thanks for the link.

[joeybee12]

2. More details please--I don't have cable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mike1963]

3. Maybe has legs, question is which way will they run?

Could backfire...hope not.

[calimary]

48. No. This story has legs. Like a centipede!

People maybe didn't care about it the first time it was brought up, in 2000. Of course not. The media was giving bush such a free ride it was ridiculous. NOTHING stuck to him. That has changed. He has a record now that he can't get away from - stuck to his shoes like some gum he just stepped in. Besides, back in 2000 there was no war in Iraq, of dubious justification that everyone now knows about and more and more people have questions about. It hasn't been exploited ENOUGH!

Now, the fact that it's come up again, twice in one week in a prominent setting - with Jennings and Wesley Clark, and now McAuliffe and Blitzer, it's a scab just begging to be picked.

Furthermore, the post here about MIA bracelets is FUCKING BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By the way, here's the latest strategy note I just now sent to Ann Lewis at the DNC:

Ann:

The issue about our "Ccommandeer-in-Chief" being AWOL from the Air National Guard (without permission) so he could go politicking around Alabama for his republi-CON cronies - HAS LEGS! It's turning into a centipede!

I hear people talking about it, it's all over the internet, and our own Terry McAuliffe mentioned it to Wolf Blitzer today, sending Ed Gillespie into a tailSPIN!!! Peter Jennings brought it up with Wesley Clark last week. It's IN THE NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS NOW, and should be, in Dubya's own words: FULLY VETTED.

I ran across a scathingly brilliant idea to exploit the heck out of this:

Can the DNC make up MIA bracelets for Bush? We need to pound this drum like crazy. It strikes at the heart of his whole "war on terr" and the so-called national security strength that republi-CONS claim they traditionally have. THIS is how we can undercut that! Could we put Bush's face on milk cartons?

This would reap many more benefits, besides. We could build an entire side campaign around Bush being Missing In Action on ALL SORTS OF THINGS. It evokes his military "service" - more like Military DISservice, if you ask anybody who's actually put their necks on the line in combat while he skated away on all his pulled strings. It can be broadened to strike at his Missing in Action status on other wars we face here in America:
The war on unemployment.
The war on the recession.
The war on the middle class.
The war on anybody who isn't rich and well-connected (the ONLY ones who benefited from the miracle-cure tax cuts).
The war on the environment - not a peep about this in the SOTU, and people noticed.
The war on corporate scoundrels - we got TWO WHOLE WORDS on this in the SOTU.

In short: The WAR on the LITTLE GUY.

I know you guys are probably skittish about the crimes around 9/11 - too tinfoil-hat for the average voter. BUT, this will also resonate with many of us who believe Bush was also Missing in Action in the real war on terror, ignoring all the recommendations in the Hart/Rudman commission, and Sandy Berger's National Security briefings with Condi Rice. Plus, he WAS Missing in Action for a LARGE PART OF THAT VERY DAY, when America was attacked, and leaderless for HOURS, while TV anchors covering the 9/11 attacks were publicly wondering "WHERE is the president?"

Frankly, the more this is pressed, the more people WILL start to ask themselves questions. Once they do, those questions will turn toward Bush. People want answers. People who are hurting right now, for many reasons, from the "NASCAR Dad" who still can't find a job to the 9/11 widow still asking the Stonewall Stinkers in the White House for answers about her husband's death.

He WAS AWOL. NOT JUST from his duty as an Air National Guardsman. He's been AWOL on a LOT of things since he TOOK office. We need to pound this home. Again and again and again.

The AWOL story has legs. More than legs. By now, it's also racked up more than 500 bodies.

[TryingToWarnYou]

65. Hold the phone...

Please do NOT do anything connecting Bush with the brave souls that are truly MIA. That would be very disrespectful to them.

Bush does not even deserve to be discussed in the same breath as them... let alone be "remembered" in the same way.

Please find another idea as this one is very bad in my opinion.

Thanks.

[Tansy_Gold]

134. I agree, TTWY

Missing in Action means the person actually saw action.

Now, a chickenhawk-yellow AWOL bracelet might not be inappropriate.

[Cronus Protagonist]

79. Pass links to this cartoon around - that will help keep the story going

http://bushspeaks.com/home.asp?did=112



"FUCK Bush" Buttons, Stickers & Magnets

[0007]

126. btt

[junker]

4. Just saw Jennings say that chimp had a 'huge absenteeism' but

that it was not desertion 'cause desertion is punishable by death'....
yet more non-sequiters.
this was on MTP I think. 10:44 am PCT

on edit:
sorry it was T Brokaw. Excuse me. I am ignorant pig. Will do better next time.

[leesa]

28. It's not desertion because he's not dead??? There's some fancy spinning!

[hippiechick]

47. It's not desertion because he wasn't punished (wink, wink)

... we all know that an honorable patriot like George W. :puke:
would have been accountable and taken his due punishment had he
been a true deserter... (wink, wink) but he was never punished so therefore, he wasn't a deserter so stop saying that.

:eyes:


:hippie:

[librechik]

113. it's not desertion cuz his daddy was head of the CIA n/t

[KansDem]

132. Not to mention...

Ambassador to the UN and RNC chief:

http://www.rotten.com/library/bio/presidents/george-hw-bush/

This website also has a nice summary of who GHW Bush pardoned:

George HW Bush's Presidential Pardons

Elliott Abrams Pardoned for any and all Iran-Contra crimes.
Aslam P. Adam Clemency for heroin trafficking.
Duane R. Clarridge Pardoned for any and all Iran-Contra crimes.
Edwin L. Cox Pardoned for bank fraud.
Alan Fiers Pardoned for any and all Iran-Contra crimes.
Clair George Pardoned for any and all Iran-Contra crimes.
Armand Hammer Pardoned for making illegal contributions to President Nixon's 1972 re-election campaign.
Robert C. McFarlane Pardoned for any and all Iran-Contra crimes.
Joseph Occhipinti Commuted sentence for violating the civil rights of accused criminals.
Caspar W. Weinberger Pardoned for any and all Iran-Contra crimes.

[Bozita]

102. If I could stretch like that, I'd be in the NBA

all of the rebounds, all of the time

[salin]

31. that is getting 'warmer'... and the first time that I have heard a tv

media personality do anything but act incredulously shocked at any suggestion of irregularity with Bush's service

[Kelvin Mace]

37. As I recall...

0-30 days = AWOL
30+ days = desertion

Has this changed?

David Allen
Publisher, CEO, Janitor
Plan Nine Publishing
http://www.plan9.org

[duhneece]

41. It used to be that desertion=not having military ID

But as long as one still had their ID, even if they had been AWOL for over 120 days, didn't qualify that soldier as being a deserter.
Not sure if that has changed in the past 30 years or so.

[MooPie]

43. This might shed some light

If you're willing to believe that he showed up for duty in Alabama, yet no one there remembers this future president of the United States... ...then let's take a look at this excerpt from the Texas Military Code.:
Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 147, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987. § 432.130. Desertion
(a) A member of the state military forces is guilty of desertion if the member:
(1) without authority goes or remains absent from his unit, organization, or place of duty with intent to remain away permanently;
(2) quits his unit, organization, or place of duty with intent to avoid hazardous duty or to shirk important service; or
(3) without being regularly separated from one of the state military forces, enlists or accepts an appointment in the same or another of the state military forces, or in one of the armed forces of the United States, without fully disclosing the fact that he has not been regularly separated.
(b) A commissioned officer of the state military forces who, after tender of his resignation and before notice of its acceptance, quits his post or proper duties without leave and with intent to remain away permanently is guilty of desertion.
(c) A person found guilty of desertion or attempt to desert shall be punished as a court-martial directs.
As is evident from the above, one of the elements of desertion is intent to remain away permanently. Bush asked for discharge from the TANG on September 5, 1973, and apparently left for grad school immediately after. (Does anyone know of university grad school years starting after September?) Now, let's take another look at that excerpt from the Texas Military Code.


(b) A commissioned officer of the state military forces who, after tender of his resignation and before notice of its acceptance, quits his post or proper duties without leave and with intent to remain away permanently is guilty of desertion.
So... On September 5th, 1973, George Bush asked for discharge (resigned from) the Texas Air National Guard, thereby stating his intent to not return to duty with the TANG. Now let us examine another document

That document is Bush's Discharge from the TANG. Notice block 33, at the bottom: "NOT AVAILABLE FOR SIGNATURE". There it is, folks. Bush left Texas before his resignation from the TANG was approved. There is your evidence of desertion.

You can find this at www.awolbush.com/deserter.html

[thebaghwan]

94. Unfortunately, this definition was enacted in 1987, long after Shrub was i

the service. He (or anyone else) cannot be held to a standard enactewd after the event. It is Ex post Facto

[amber dog democrat]

98. Back then the consequences

were even more severe.
If you were gone for more than 30 days, you were guilty of desertion.
That should have gotten him busted and transfered to the Army.
Hopefully Levanworth.

[banana republican]

135. what is the date of the discharge ???

that is the clincher.

also what is the statute of limitations.

If this is a felony can he legally be president (e.g what are the constitutional restrictions on the presidency)???

[amber dog democrat]

96. That was how it was told to me

when I was in the Navy.
UA, ( unauthorized absence )
AWOL - up to 30 days
Desertion - 30 + days

I don't have my copy of the UCMJ handy but I will BET this has not changed.

Dude, he is a deserter!

[wildwww2]

103. I was AWOL for more than 30 days and they called me a deserter. No shit!

I remember it was after 30 days you are a deserter. I am not wrong I have too good of a memory for stuff like that.
Peace
Wildman
Al Gore is My President

[0rganism]

58. Funny, that reads a lot like a veiled jab at dubya

As in, "maybe W should be punished by death for his crime."

Oooh, I love the way this story is taking off. Thanks very much to Michael Moore and Wes Clark, for building it up just right.

[Benhurst]

64. Thanks from an even more ignorant pig.

I would have missed this if you hadn't posted it. :toast:

[RapidCreek]

84. Well Brokaw is demonstrating his complete and total

IGNORANCE on the subject. This utterance clearly demonstrates he

1. Never researched this subject at all (apathetic, shitty journalist)
2. Is a media whore intentionally spreading disinformation for Karl Rove (Crooked, shitty Journalist)
3. Researched the subject but wasn't smart enough to comprehend what he was reading (stupid, shitty journalist)

There are two reasons he is WRONG. First of all Desertion is not a capital offense unless it is committed during a time of war. Technically Vietnam was not a war, as war was never declared. Vietnam was what is commonly referred to as a police action. Second...desertion, as it relates to National Guard Units, is not a capital offense unless the deserter's unit is in Federal Service....which George Bush's unit never was. Even if desertion occurs during activation in a time of war desertion is not automatically a capital offense.

This fucker Brokaw is a self important boob. He just got done writing a book about the brave veterans who served our country in WW2. He extolled their virtues and implored us not to forget their sacrifice...but doesn't respect them enough to look into the facts surrounding a little pimp sitting in the White House who dresses up like A military pilot and plays Top Gun on Aircraft Carriers...a little pimp who broke a solemn pledge he swore to his countrymen and God he would honor...a pledge made with his hand on his heart, in front of our flag. A pledge he broke not out of hardship or the fortitude of principle but out of arrogance and privilege. A pledge he fully expects the young men and women he sends to Iraq to take seriously...a pledge those who are Veterans of WW2 did take seriously.

One has to wonder how Brokaw ascended to the level he has. Clearly it has nothing to do with his journalism skills. Must be he gives one hell of a hummer.

To Tom, if your reading this...you can kiss my South Dakotan, veteran ass you sanctimonious Rovian shill!

George Bush went AWOL....of that there is ample evidence and no doubt. Whether he Deserted is not as easily determined. Certainly his AWOL was of a long enough duration to be considered desertion....Before a desertion charge can be made to stick however, a warrant for desertion must be issued, a special courts martial convened, and intent established. Since his records are incomplete we can't know if such a warrant was isseud...and if one was, we cannot know what took place during the subsequent trial. In any case the question remains...if no desertion warrant was issued, why wasn't it? If one was, where is it and when and where was the special courts martial it authorized? What was the finding of that courts martial?

Certainly the situation bears some serious looking into. Whether or not Bush deserted is immaterial as far as I am concerned. He went AWOL and that is bad enough.

RC

[0rganism]

90. You may be underestimating Brokaw

He may be phrasing the charge in the form of a negative. Read between the lines, and you'll see that by criticizing the accusation on that basis he actually supports it. More importantly, mentioning it to this degree in the mass media is a damn sight more coverage than it got in 2000.

Brokaw is not going to jeopardize his job by calling bush* a deserter on his corporate media outlet show. He's letting people ask the question. Only a nincompoop would accept "It's false because the consequences of truth would be severe" as a legitimate argument. So Brokaw avoids pissing off the nincompoops, keeps his job, and raises the issue above water level once again.

Not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I'll take it.

[Strelnikov_]

110. Desertion Under Fire Is Punishable By Death

To the credit of our military, this was rarely the penalty in the 20th century.

If Bush was AWOL for more than 30 days, he is a deserter.

http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/printer_3714.shtml

"Danielsen, provost marshal at Fort Bragg, wants possible deserters to imagine being on the run for the rest of their lives.

"They should turn themselves in because eventually they'll be caught," Danielsen said. "That federal warrant remains valid for 40 years."

"That federal warrant" is issued the moment a soldier crosses the line between absent without leave and desertion. A soldier who does not show up for duty is classified as AWOL for 30 days. After that, he or she becomes an official deserter. During a time of war, the 30-day grace period disappears, she said."

[indepat]

122. Surely not desertion, but would P(permanently)AWOL be more palatable?

[Grins]

129. Brokaw is wrong...

Death is not the proof of desertion, a conviction in a Courts Martial is, and for that you need a trial!

When I was in the Army, if you were not present for duty for the morning formation (0700 hrs.) the old man would report you absent in the daily “Morning Report”. No excerption. No excuses. He would drop them, and this was true of all the company commanders I knew. It was called DFR = Dropped from the Roll.

After 30 days, a DFR automatically becomes desertion and it was out of our hands. On that 30th day the absent would be declared a deserter, the Army would notify his next of kin (gee, Dubya's daddy?), his hometown police dept., and other law enforcement including the FBI. It was their job to apprehend him. With any justice, he'd be in Leavenworth.

Now, in looking around I found this little sentence here:

“A person whose conviction of desertion in time of war results in an dishonorable discharge can never hold office of public trust or profit in the United States government.
<http://resources.seacadets.org/training/bmr/14325_ch2.pdf>

Ain't that a pistol! So, why wasn’t all this done, a Courts Martial held, and a dishonorable discharge issued?


Here are the actual UCMJ Articles:

Article 85. Desertion.
(a) A person, who without authority, goes or remains absent from his or her unit, organization, or place of duty, with the intent to remain away therefrom permanently; or who quits his or her unit, organization, or place of duty, with the intent to avoid hazardous duty or to shirk important service; or without being regularly separated from one of the armed forces enlists or accepts an appointment in the same or another one of the armed forces or enters any foreign armed service without authority, commits the offense of desertion.
(b) Any commissioned officer of the armed forces who, after tender of resignation and before notice of its acceptance, quits his or her post or proper duties without leave and with intent to remain away therefrom permanently, is also guilty of desertion.
(c) Desertion or attempting to desert during war may be punishable by death.

Article 86. Absence Without Leave.
A person who, without authority, fails to go to his or her appointed place of duty at the time prescribed; goes from that place; or absents himself or herself or remains absent from his or her unit, organization, or place of duty at which he or she is required to be at prescribed time, violates this article.

[prolesunited]

5. What I love is how these newspeople

feel it necessary to correct supposed "lies" told about the GOP, but they feel no such compulsion to uphold such standards of truth when it comes to Dems.

[TomNickell]

16. Except that Bush can't win this one.

-Whatever- the terminology, there's enough truth to hurt *.

It's like debating whether he beat his wife or his child.

[Robb]

118. Exceptionally good point. nt

[DoYouEverWonder]

6. I love the sound of AWOL

in the media.

[Poiuyt]

104. It sounds like...victory!

My apologies to DuVall

[bluedog]

7. Gillespie trying to spin...

said * had honorable discharge.....faces was red as he**....said Democrats are doing this because they have nothing else to run on.....

[DoctorMyEyes]

10. Terry should have told him to claim the reward

If Gillespie knows so much about where Bush was he should claim that reward the veterans have been offering for the last three years.

It was cool to see Terry showing some balls on this -but if he had mentioned the reward I would have to pinch myself to make sure it wasn't a dream!

[UpInArms]

23. the reward expired November 6, 2000

[BeyondGeography]

8. The Commander in Chief was AWOL

Has a serviceable ring to it? Doesn't it?

I'm not sure who we thank for this one, Peter Jennings, Michael Moore or Wes Clark.

[Malva Zebrina]

82. we should first of all thank Marty Heldt and then the Boston Globe.

[TomNickell]

9. Controlling the terms of debate

This a a Good Debate.

Dems should get into a raucous, angry, nasty argument among themselves.


"Was Bush AWOL, a Deserter, or did he have a 'huge absenteeism problem' ".

Call each other names, question sanity, pound tables, Screech.

I THINK HE WAS AWOL, AND YOU'RE A NITWIT IF YOU THINK HE'S A DESERTER!

[TomNickell]

11. DESERTER! YOU NITWIT! n/t

[TomNickell]

12. AWOL! FOOL. n/t

[T Bone]

38. Calm down he was only absent while he did community service in Houston

wasn't he?

But why was he doing community service DURING a stint in the TANG? Did it have anything to do with missing or failing the first physical he was to take AFTER drug-testing was first initiated as part of the Guard physical.

We know he was grounded for "failure to accomplish physical" along with his friend and future Bin Laden business partner, James Bath.

Can "failure to accomplish physical" mean one failed a drug test ?
If it can mean that how was that related to his little gig of "community service".

Dots..........dots......dots

[Media_Lies_Daily]

46. Did his community service in Houston have anything to do with why...

...he had the identification number on his Texas driver's license changed? Was he afraid that someone would uncover some information in his files pertaining to an event that may have taken place in 1972? And was his refusal to take a military flight physical tied to something that happened while Junior was driving a vehicle? Did it have anything to do with a substance found in his car?

[JoFerret]

50. Drug testing

in routine miltary physicals

[reprobate]

73. No. Here's what happened.

After NOT taking the flight physical that was the first that tested for drugs, he was taken off flight status. He then requested a transfer to alabama to campaign for one of his fathers friends. His commander in alabama says that he has no recollection of EVER seeing 1st Lt bus. From that point on he was not seen for duty anywhere.

It's only because his father was asshole buddies with the commander of TANG that he got an honorable discharge. If you or I did what he did we would have gone to levenworth.

[TomNickell]

80. He wasn't AWOL, he was in AA.

Or Drug Rehab.

His superiors knew all about it.

[DoctorMyEyes]

13. LMAO!

That is too funny!

Don't forget - MIA! Was he missing in action?
Do we need bracelets? :bounce:

[jpak]

15. Yeah - bracelets with coke spoons and roach clips attached

:)

[wryter2000]

20. Milk carton

Put his ugly face on the back of milk cartons.

Have you seen this Guardsman?

[GinaMaria]

36. great protest poster idea! n/t

[calimary]

39. EXCELLENT!!! Where do I get one? Or a thousand?

Doggone it - this thing DOES have legs. Like a centipede!

[DoYouEverWonder]

45. Those were the special edition ones?

n/t

[Thor_MN]

112. Wouldn't that look better with * and the Teletubbies?

.

[Stevendsmith]

54. HAH!!

Oh, that is beautiful!

[mopinko]

123. where can i get one?

seriously, what a great thing. mia bracelets!!!!!

[Toots]

14. But there is a very good way to stop the debate

Show Us The Records Every candidate has released their military records for all to see and make up their minds over except Bush*. If there is nothing to hide then Release your Records I for one am curious as to what he did to warrant a "Special Commission"

[AVID]

18. I called GOD

and she said you guys are splitting hairs, but to register her vote for AWOL* (with asterisk)

*privileged status - permission slip from GOD

[wryter2000]

24. Welcome

Welcome to DU :hi:

[Bozvotros]

27. This is what every one of our candidates should say

when asked about Chimpy's TANG service and desertion. They should go thoughtful and say how serious a charge it is and how they are just baffled about why Bush has refused to release his full military record and clear the matter up.

Do the old Columbo routine, saying how they know there must be some reasonable reason why he can't account for more than a year, why he refused to take his flight physical and broke his commitment to the Guard...especially since it is clear that he was given special consideration and advancement. Perhaps a discrete mention should be made of Bush's lie fest "A Charge to Keep."

If queried further they should keep repeating how they don't think they should comment on such a serious charge and that they hope President Bush will open his records so we can focus on today's issues. Then we should encourage every other non candidate Dem to keep stirring the pot and bringing it up every chance they get.

[Bonobo]

67. You, sir, are exactly correct. eom

[librechik]

114. perfect--especially since it's clear

that the SCLM has not done it's job and actually never researched this matter, just let it drop when the evil Bushgang warned them to back off in 2000. Wouldn't you?

[0007]

40. junior was arrested on a cocine charge in 1972

He was also arrested for a DUI in 1972 - go figure if this was during his missing days as a pilot.

[joeybee12]

17. NO! He was a nitwit, you deserter!

Wait, I think I got that wrong somehow!

Point well taken--have the discussion whether the term should be deserter or AWOL--neither is very flattering!

[Ivote]

22. I agree

with all of you. Funny the chickenhawks dont even know that their really is no differance, especially if you have served in the armed forces.
AWOL v Deserter you werent were you were supposed to be and someone died. Seems theirs a trend here. Where was he on 911, and hardly ever at the White House.
I know transients that stay in their corner of the park longer, but i guess they must only be homeless Viet Nam Vets.

[lostnfound]

77. Right On! n/t

[hyphenate]

83. Hmmmm.......

>>>>>>>>>>>>>'huge absenteeism problem'<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Which he continues to have, taking off as much time as he does, including the entire month of August.

[amber dog democrat]

99. Read the UCMJ

Uniform Code of Militry Justice states its desertion.
Bush is a deserter. PERIOD.
AWOL indicated you intended to return.
The chimp is guilty of desertion, and ought to be held accountable.

At the least this is going to go down well with a lot of people who are on active duty today.

[wryter2000]

19. Very good!

First of all, that's probably correct. Second, it makes us look magnanimous to "only" call him AWOL.

Legs, indeed.

[baby_bear]

21. I like magnanimity!!

So I'll vote for letting him off as "merely" AWOL, since he did go back at the end, before he went off to business school.

The fact that he got an honorable discharge (instead of prosecution) goes more to the point that he had special treatment, not that he deserved the honorable discharge.

s_m

[PROGRESSIVE1]

25. Accurately, he was AWOL.

and McCaulliffe was right on this one.

[w4rma]

72. Wasn't Smirk absent for longer than 30 days, though?

Isn't that desertion?

[Media_Lies_Daily]

92. Quite a bit longer than 30 days...close to a year and a half. And yes...

...when I was in the military, that was classified as desertion.

[jus_the_facts]

26. all this was brought up in the last election too but never resonated......

.....except to those of us PAYIN' ATTENTION....the legs on this story will walk a few steps and will have the rug pulled out from uner it....not unlike say...the PRINE incident...or countless other atrocities he's committed! :eyes: :puke:

[The Night Owl]

29. This time, people might care about Bush's desertion because...

Bush has sent soldiers to war based on lies.

[jus_the_facts]

34. I know this.....you know this.....but the majority of people don't care...

......they're told..."all is well" and BELIEVE it...so I can't get excited that any TRUTH will make 'em see the light of truth....besides the MEDIA will continue to create the illusion that the pukes want them to see regardless....my cynicism is engrained and *rightly* so. :evilfrown:

[reprobate]

74. I disagree. There are millions of people .....

...who believe that being a shirker from your duty is not something that should be rewarded. He's getting a really bad rep now, and this will just coalesce with everything else.

[amber dog democrat]

101. I know some veterans

who might take a very juandiced view of this.
Very juandiced view in deed! This is wonderful,

[JoFerret]

107. so...why haven't they already?

.

[theHandpuppet]

88. Excellent point...

I think that IS the difference.

[TomNickell]

87. It's already walked farther than the first time.

Just from reporters trying to deny the 'Deserter' charge. Or from Peter Jennings asking the question of Clark.

Strange.

Clark has made more serious charges that didn't make any waves.

[madrchsod]

30. he was a coward

he ran away and hid.

[BeatleBoot]

59. "Coward" is okay, but I prefer

Sissy.

Let's use it in a sentence, shall we?

"Bush is a cake-eater sissy."

[ignatius]

68. I like sissy too. Maybe a picture of him in his cheerleading outfit

then morphing into his flight suit with awol in the background, then into his "top gun" wannabe suit with mission accomplished in the background.

Don't forget his pretty boy comments last week to the aide to the Canadian P.M.

The ex cheerleader who was awol telling a man he has a pretty face..sounds kinda sissy to me.

[TomNickell]

86. Cheerleader for the YALE football team! Whoa!

I think Trent Lott was a cheerleader, also. U. Miss, I imagine.

Hard to figure how to make that an accusation. Could make a nice campaign ad, though. Contrasting the Dem Nominee through his life, with *.

[Bozita]

106. Cheerleaders don't lead; they stand on the sidelines...

...and urge others on.

Look for them on the Chickenhawk website.

[NNN0LHI]

119. You mean like this? Go George. Rah, rah, rah, sis, koom, bah

[JoFerret]

108. OK OK....try putting a lid on your misogyny

and homophobiia. Don't play into it.

[mac56]

75. "Cake-eater sissy" has a great ring to it.

nm

[bvar22]

32. maybe bush* merely...

...abandoned his post during time of WAR!!!

[TheWebHead]

33. Terry's said it before

though hasn't used the term AWOL:

courtesy the thugs at Newsmax:

Complaining about the president's May 1 appearance on the Lincoln's flight deck, McAuliffe told CNN's "Late Edition" that Bush "didn't wear when he should have worn one when he was supposedly in the Alabama National Guard."

The insinuation that Bush dodged military service stunned fellow "Late Edition" guest Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie, who shook his head in disgust as McAulliffe recycled the discredited charge.

more...
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2003/11/9/153105.shtml

Newsmax been pretty light on the coverage of this issue this week, and Drudge pulled references to the deserter issue yesterday... the RNC doesn't want to press this issue any further.

[Ilsa]

42. I am sick of the Dems being pushed

into to practically apologizing for calling it like it is: The Chimp went AWOL! Why the hell should any Democratic candidate have to apologize for Commander Bunnypants.

[Abigail147]

44. That's what we said the first time.

The media was hardly unaware of the definitive Boston Globe series on this very subject which they conveniently ignored. Incredulous you say--that look is brought out at everything less than worshipful that is said about the fella who is bringing the FCC to them--Georgie Bunnypants Bush.

[pacifictiger]

49. AWOL

is sort of a recurring pattern wouldn't you say? AWOL from unscripted press conferences, AWOL from his subjects, AWOL for a full day sept 11 2001, meanwhile back at the ranch AWOL from the oval office.

[rocktivity]

51. McCauliffe baldly stated that Georgie didn't serve in Alabama

because he was working on a political campaign. Gillespie said that only that Bush "served honorably," that Bush was being personally attacked, then segued into how Bush's leadership was good for the American people. In other words, Gillespie didn't deny it. He didn't say that Bush DID serve honorably in Alabama or anywhere else. And until he IS willing and able to say that...!


rocknation

[DoYouEverWonder]

53. Isn't there a law

about active duty personal not being allowed to work on political campaigns?

[buckeye1]

52. Kick

Terry rocks..

[jansu]

55. WE NEED TO KEEP IT IN THE NEWS!

We need to demand that the "news" agencies research this and tell the American people the truth about this. Write, call and e-mail every one of the news organizations. Write your local newspapers and television stations....keep the pressure on. Demand that the truth be told!

Do this on every story you want answers to, and especially every story you know to be false!

It matters and it makes a difference. We still buy their newspapers and watch their news reports, and if you let the advertisers know that you will not buy their products unless the truth is reported....we have the power!

I have written every person (including M. Moore) and every site that has used the term AWOL that I came across, for over two years on this very issue of not only AWOL but Desertion. Enough of us did it that it finally paid off!

TRUTH IS A VIRUS......PASS IT ON! ©susanstrouss

[Stevendsmith]

57. Excellent points

Welcome to DU!

[Poiuyt]

105. Welcome to DU!!

Good point about contacting the local press. They will cover what their readers request.

[et in Arcadia ego...]

56. WMD...

W's Military Desertion*. Wow, if this story is finally getting legs, I'd say MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

*or AWOL...whatever ;)

[BeatleBoot]

60. Bush is a sissy.

I don't vote for sissies.

[JoFerret]

109. I wish he WERE a sissy

then I WOULD vote for him. Don't you actually mean hypocrite?

[peterh]

61. I’m waiting for a slightly revised quote to roll off the twit’s tongue….

Bush to Bob Woodward:

“I’m the commander…see, I don’t need to explain…I do not need to explain why I say things. That’s the interesting thing about being the president. Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don’t feel like I owe anybody an explanation.”


New version:

“I’m the commander…see, I don’t need to explain…I do not need to explain why I was AWOL for a year. That’s the interesting thing about being the president. Maybe somebody else needs to explain why they might have gone AWOL, but I don’t feel like I owe anybody an explanation.”


Please your twitness….please say something like that…please….

[RUexperienced]

62. I wish McAullife and Moore would get their story straight

They are embarassing us.

[0rganism]

63. It all boils down to "intent to return to duty", that's the difference

And, given that intent can be a difficult thing to ascertain 30 years hence, McAuliffe is soft-pedaling with AWOL. Moore, who has no national office to worry about, is going with his gut -- that bush's 1973 enrollment in grad school indicates a lack of intent.

I wouldn't be one to argue with Moore's fabulous gut, but McAuliffe seems to think he has to give the "president" benefit of the doubt.

[MisterC2003]

124. McAuliffe's BotD

C'mon. McAuliffe is the leader of the "roll over and spread 'em" contingent of the Dem leadership, the "leadership" that has cost the Dems the White House, the Senate and the House. Why ANYONE think his advice is worth seeking ...

[Terwilliger]

66. must be embarrassing you

Id like to find out how many other Dems are "embarrassed" by whats happening.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

70. There's that "US" Again

Do you speak for all Democrats? Given your stances on many of the issues, I don't think you should presume to represent Democratic opinion...

[lostnfound]

76. Oh, but a Moore/McAuliffe debate "AWOL or Deserter?" would be delightful!

Bush: AWOL or Deserter?

Haha. If there were a mirror image of Fox, that's what we could have.

[ParanoidPat]

93. US?

You have a mouse in your pocket or what? :shrug: :evilgrin:

Bush is NOT a deserter! He was only AWOL. :)

[Forkboy]

97. Speak for yourself

though after reading your posts in I/P I can't say I'm suprised at this stance of yours.

[NNN0LHI]

120. You seem to appear not to like the Bush AWOL story RUexperienced

Why is that?

Don

[CatWoman]

69. TRANSCRIPT'S UP!!

BLITZER: Terry McAuliffe, when Wesley Clark was on that stage with Michael Moore, one of his campaign supporters, and Moore called President Bush a deserter and General Clark refused to distance himself from that comment right away, was that a huge blunder? You don't believe that President Bush was a deserter, do you?

MCAULIFFE: Well, Wolf, in order to to be a deserter, you have to actually show up.

Let's just deal with the facts. As you know, when President Bush got out of college in 1968, it was at the height of the draft. It's well known that the president, former president, used some of his influence to get George Bush into the Texas National Guard.

He then wanted to go to Alabama and work on a Senate campaign. So he went to Alabama for a year while he was in the National Guard, and he never showed up.

I mean, I would call it AWOL. You call it whatever you want. But the issue is the president did not show up for the year he was in Alabama, when he was supposed to show up for the National Guard.

BLITZER: All right.

MCAULIFFE: And I think that's what Mr. Moore was trying to say. GILLESPIE: Wolf...

BLITZER: Hold on one second. I'm going to let you respond.

But I want to make sure I heard you right. Are you saying you don't dispute what Michael Moore was saying, branding the president of the United States as having been a deserter?

MCAULIFFE: He never should have called him a deserter. There are other issues that you can say -- AWOL, just didn't show up for duty. But he shouldn't have called him a deserter. Let's get out of this discourse in American politics. Let's just deal with the facts.

BLITZER: All right.

MCAULIFFE: The facts are that George Bush didn't show up when he was supposed to in the National Guard, and that's just the fact.

But I wouldn't call him a deserter, nor should anybody call the president a deserter.

GILLESPIE: Well, Wolf, I'm glad to hear Terry acknowledge that what Michael Moore said was reprehensible. But Terry's wrong that the president was AWOL in the National Guard. That is not accurate. The president served honorably in the National Guard.

This is one of the -- the Democrats throw these charges out there. They're just completely inaccurate, and it's unfortunate that they stoop to this kind of politics.

But we're going to hear more of these kind of attacks against the president, personal attacks, because they don't want to talk about their policies because their policies are wrong for America. Raising taxes, reducing our national security expenditures and making us weaker when it comes to winning the war against terror are the wrong policies for America. That's the bottom line, and that's why President Bush is going to be successful in November.

BLITZER: Ted Gillespie and Terry McAuliffe, we'll leave it right there. But we'll have both of you back. I understand both of you will be here in New Hampshire on Tuesday. You'll probably be on one of our shows here on CNN. Thanks very much for joining us.

MCAULIFFE: Thanks, Wolf.

GILLESPIE: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: And coming up, one of the senior leaders of the Democratic Party and a lightning rod for Republican criticism: Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts. I'll speak with him live about the president's State of the Union address this week and much more, and why he supports John Kerry for the presidency.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0401/25/le.00.html

[Hekate]

116. I just love this! Thank you, Catwoman

"MCAULIFFE: He never should have called him a deserter. There are other issues that you can say -- AWOL, just didn't show up for duty. But he shouldn't have called him a deserter. Let's get out of this discourse in American politics. Let's just deal with the facts."

That was just so cool of McAuliffe -- right up there with PM Chretien saying that Bush "is not a moron"! Hee hee.

Let's keep it out there by arguing over semantics: Deserter? or AWOL? You be the judge.

:evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin:

~~~The US flag is not the corporate logo of Bush-Cheney, Inc.~Hekate~~

http://www.veteransforpeace.org/Arlington_west_121003.htm

[Career Prole]

71. New commercial for the Super Bowl...

...grade school-aged Little Bush, Cheney, Perle, and Wolfowitz (all ducked their duty) playing with their plastic army men in the sandbox, with the the prerequisite childlike sound effects and tossed handfuls of sand simulating explosions, piping "Charge! On to Bagdhad...and the WMD's!" Zoom in on pudgy hand clutching toy soldier with high-pitched child's voice screaming "Arrrrgh...they got me!" Toy soldier lying in sand morphs into real soldier lying in sand. Voice-over says, "Some kids never grow up...shouldn't we have a Commander-in Chief who's had some practical experience?"

[snippy]

78. I like that.

http://www.recoilmag.com/news/bush_works_out_war_strategy_0902.html

[DemonFighterLives]

85. Absent Without Leave!

Bordering on Deserter.
I've been wondering if anyone has ever heard anything about his pay during the time in question. I once worked as a leave clerk, but don't remember what happened to the AWOLs, actually don't think I remember one at that time. It seems that the pay would be cut off after a reasonable amount of time, say a month or so. There were some who went AWOL from Basic Training shortly after getting there nice haircut. Two brothers went back to Texas and when they were brought back or came back, they had plenty of extra pushups and KP waiting for them.

Taking it a step further-- is this where he got his start in ripping off taxpayer? :spank:

[Stephanie]

89. AWOL Links - for your reference:

I made one post, for easier copying, from the links posted in this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1047177#1047181

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php

The pundits immediately went berserk after the debate. As well they should. Because they know that they -- and much of the mainstream media -- ignored this Bush AWOL story when it was first revealed by an investigation in the Boston Globe (in 2000). The Globe said it appeared George W. Bush skipped out in the middle of his Texas Air National Guard service -- and no charges were ever brought against him. It was a damning story, and Bush has never provided any documents or evidence to refute the Globe's charges.

George W. Bush was missing for at least a 12 month period. That is an undisputed fact. If you or I did that, we would serve time.

Senator Daniel Inouye, Democrat of Hawaii and a World War II veteran, joined with Vietnam vets Sen. Max Cleland and Sen. Bob Kerrey to challenge Bush on the gaps in his military record. "The question is, where were you, Governor Bush? What would you do as commander-in-chief if someone in the National Guard did the same thing? At the least, I would have been court-martialed. At the least, I would have been placed in prison," Inouye said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The definitive site - a comprehensive collection of links, articles and official documents:

http://www.awolbush.com/

Where were you in '72?
Most of us remember...Bush does not...

So, while the news networks have sat on this explosive story for months, it's well documented that George W. Bush never showed up for National Guard duty for a period of approximately one year, possibly more, in 1972-1973. Despite all the talk about "honor and dignity," Bush seems to have a problem meeting his commitments.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/3671

FINALLY, THE TRUTH ABOUT BUSH'S MILITARY SERVICE RECORD
George W.'s Missing Year

Marty Heldt is a farmer. He told us, "I spent 17 years as a brakeman before moving back to the farm. That job had some long layovers that gave me a lot of time to read and to educate myself." He lives in Clinton, Iowa.

Nearly two hundred manila-wrapped pages of George Walker Bush's service records came to me like some sort of giant banana stuffed into my mailbox.

I had been seeking more information about his military record to find out what he did during what I think of as his "missing year," when he failed to show up for duty as a member of the Air National Guard, as the Boston Globe first reported.

The initial page I examined is a chronological listing of Bush's service record. This document charts active duty days served from the time of his enlistment. His first year, a period of extensive training, young Bush is credited with serving 226 days. In his second year in the Guard, Bush is shown to have logged a total of 313 days. After Bush got his wings in June 1970 until May 1971, he is credited with a total of 46 days of active duty. From May 1971 to May 1972, he logged 22 days of active duty.

Then something happened. From May 1, 1972 until April 30, 1973 -- a period of twelve months -- there are no days shown, though Bush should have logged at least thirty-six days service (a weekend per month in addition to two weeks at camp).

<The documents are available at: http://users.cis.net/coldfeet/document.htm >

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Paul Krugman:

http://truthout.org/docs_03/050703G.shtml

Mind you, it was funny. At first the White House claimed the dramatic tail-hook landing was necessary because the carrier was too far out to use a helicopter. In fact, the ship was so close to shore that, according to The Associated Press, administration officials "acknowledged positioning the massive ship to provide the best TV angle for Bush's speech, with the sea as his background instead of the San Diego coastline."

A U.S.-based British journalist told me that he and his colleagues had laughed through the whole scene. If Tony Blair had tried such a stunt, he said, the press would have demanded to know how many hospital beds could have been provided for the cost of the jet fuel.

But U.S. television coverage ranged from respectful to gushing. Nobody pointed out that Mr. Bush was breaking an important tradition. And nobody seemed bothered that Mr. Bush, who appears to have skipped more than a year of the National Guard service that kept him out of Vietnam, is now emphasizing his flying experience. (Spare me the hate mail. An exhaustive study by The Boston Globe found no evidence that Mr. Bush fulfilled any of his duties during that missing year. And since Mr. Bush has chosen to play up his National Guard career, this can't be shrugged off as old news.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

<Right click and copy link location - it's so long it distorts the page>
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/campaign2000/news/One_year_gap_in_Bush_s_Guard_duty+.shtml">Boston Globe

One-year gap in Bush's National Guard duty
No record of airman at drills from 1972-73
By Walter V. Robinson, Globe Staff, 5/23/2000

AUSTIN, Texas - After George W. Bush became governor in 1995, the Houston Air National Guard unit he had served with during the Vietnam War years honored him for his work, noting that he flew an F-102 fighter-interceptor until his discharge in October 1973.

And Bush himself, in his 1999 autobiography, ''A Charge to Keep,'' recounts the thrills of his pilot training, which he completed in June 1970. ''I continued flying with my unit for the next several years,'' the governor wrote.

But both accounts are contradicted by copies of Bush's military records, obtained by the Globe. In his final 18 months of military service in 1972 and 1973, Bush did not fly at all. And for much of that time, Bush was all but unaccounted for: For a full year, there is no record that he showed up for the periodic drills required of part-time guardsmen.

Bush, who declined to be interviewed on the issue, said through a spokesman that he has ''some recollection'' of attending drills that year, but maybe not consistently.

From May to November 1972, Bush was in Alabama working in a US Senate campaign, and was required to attend drills at an Air National Guard unit in Montgomery. But there is no evidence in his record that he did so. And William Turnipseed, the retired general who commanded the Alabama unit back then, said in an interview last week that Bush never appeared for duty there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://bushwatch.org/bushgate2.htm

JUNIOR AWOL ON DRUGS?

"THE Republican frontrunner for the White House, George W Bush, was suspended from flying as a young pilot for failing to take a medical examination that included a drug test.
"Documents obtained by The Sunday Times reveal that in August 1972, as a 26-year-old subaltern in the Air National Guard, Bush was grounded for failing to "accomplish" an annual medical that would have indicated whether he was taking drugs....While he has consistently admitted to a "misspent youth", Bush has evaded questions about cocaine or other drug use, implying only that he has not taken illegal substances since 1974, the year after he left the Air National Guard....

"Bush was not required to face drug tests when he first entered the reserve unit as a Yale graduate in 1968. It was only at the end of 1971 that the US Air Force, facing a backlash against drug-fuelled escapades in Vietnam, introduced a screening policy. In April 1972 the Pentagon implemented a drug-abuse testing programme that required officers on "extended active duty", including reservists such as Bush, to undergo at least one random drug test every year. The annual medical exam that year included a routine analysis of urine, a close examination of the nasal cavities and specific questions about drugs....

"Bush was said to have been unable to take the medical because he was in Alabama while his doctor was in Houston. his campaign official, however, said Bush was aware that he would be suspended for missing his medical as soon as he left Houston because the air force was unable to process his new status before the August deadline for the test. "It was just a question of following the bureaucratic procedure of the time," he said. "He knew the suspension would have to take place."

"William Turnipseed, a retired general who commanded the Alabama unit at the time, said Bush never appeared for duty. Two commanders at Ellington air force base in Houston said in his record they were unable to perform his annual evaluation covering the year from May 1, 1972 to April 30, 1973. "Lt Bush has not been observed at this unit during the period of this report," they wrote.

"...Chris Lapetina, a former marine and Democratic political consultant, said controversy about the medical exam could hurt Bush's chances among several voting blocks, including pensioners and veterans. Many servicemen would be upset if they thought a possible future president had avoided an obligatory military examination that included a drug test, he said. "When someone doesn't take a physical in the military there's got to be very good reason," Lapetina said. "It looks like he made a decision not to take it because the alternative was unpalatable." " --Sunday Times (UK), 6/17/00

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A59151-2000Jun25¬Found=true>

Records of Bush's Ala. Military Duty Can't Be Found
By Wayne Slater
Dallas Morning News
Monday, June 26, 2000; Page A06

AUSTIN –– After a thorough search of military records, George W. Bush's presidential campaign has failed to find any documents proving he reported for duty during an eight-month stint in Alabama with the Texas Air National Guard.

But a spokesman expressed confidence Saturday that inquiries will turn up former Guard members who can corroborate Bush's having been there.

"He specifically recalls pulling duty in Alabama," spokesman Dan Bartlett said of Bush. "He did his drills."

<snip>

"I can't remember what I did, but I wasn't flying because they didn't have the same airplanes. I fulfilled my obligations."

In May, retired Gen. William Turnipseed, the former commander of the Alabama Guard unit, said Bush did not report to him, although the young airman was required to do so. His orders, dated Sept. 15, 1972, said: "Lieutenant Bush should report to Lt. Col. William Turnipseed, DCO, to perform equivalent training."

"To my knowledge, he never showed up," Turnipseed said last month.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.agitproperties.com/chickenhawk.html

Please read the scathing letter from Captain Maureen Griswold, (who lost her brother Scott to the Vietnam War debacle), to KB toys about their bush (non)action figure. Here's a brief excerpt:

"Note: AWOL and absent without leave' and desertion (defined as AWOL beyond 30 days), are actual crimes with NO STATUTES OF LIMITATION."

Other links to bush's (non)duty are provided on the linked web page and within the letter of Captain Griswold.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the lack of coverage
http://www.uaw.org/cap/01/news/day3media.html

Let me give you some statistics," responded panelist Paul Begala, "I worked for Bill Clinton in 1992 and …in anticipation of this very question, I looked this up on Nexis. There were 13,641 stories about Bill Clinton 'dodging the draft' …and there were 49 stories about Bush and the National Guard," Begala said.

And here is a timeline.

http://uggabugga.blogspot.com/2003_01_12_uggabugga_archive.html#87590816

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bill Burkett:

May 28, 2002
A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS

Pausing to Reflect After Memorial Day: Were George W. Bush's National Guard Records Scrubbed? Bill Burkett Should Know. The Nation Deserves the Truth.

(See http://199.96.2.183/contributors/2002/05/24_supreme.html to understand the context of this letter to BuzzFlash.com from Bill Burkett. It is also recommended that you read these two important postings from the Democrats.com archives: http://www.democrats.com/display.cfm?id=171 and
http://www.democrats.com/display.cfm?id=154)

Additional BuzzFlash Note: Major General Daniel James was head of the Texas National Guard at the time of the alleged scrubbing of George W. Bush's National Guard records. He was appointed by George W. Bush to be commander of the nation's Air National Guard -- and was confirmed by the Senate last week.

A Letter to BuzzFlash.com from Bill Burkett, formerly of the Texas National Guard:

In regards to the BuzzFlash contibutor piece, "SUPREME IRONY" (http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/2002/05/24_Supreme.html)

This BuzzFlash reader gets it closer to right than anyone has since 1998 when I broke the Bush AWOL story as a whistleblower.

I hope that more information will be coming soon as a few journalists are now asking questions that should have been asked in 1998.

http://www.buzzflash.com/analysis/2002/05/28_Scrubbed.html

* * *

Also from the Veterans for Peace website:

What do you say?
By Bill Burkett
Online Journal Contributing Writer

March 19, 2003—I've sat in total grief for the past three years, watching the institutions of America being spent as if they were lottery winnings.

I don't want to say it, "But I told you so."

In January of 1998 and what seems like a full lifetime ago, I was stricken by a deadly case of meningoencephalitis. I was returning from a short duty trip to Panama as a team chief to inspect the hand over of Ft. Clayton to the Panamanians. I had been 'loaned' from the senior staff and state planning officer of the Texas National Guard to the Department of the Army for a series of these special projects after angering George W. Bush by refusing to falsify readiness information and reports; confronting a fraudulent funding scheme which kept 'ghost' soldiers on the books for additional funding, and refusing to alter official personnel records .

http://www.veteransforpeace.org/what_do_you_say_032203.htm

Who is Bill Burkett?

Lt. Col. Bill Burkett completed 28 years of decorated service and was medically retired from the US Army National Guard in 1998 after suffering meningoencephalitis on return from an assignment in Panama. From 1995 until his illness, Burkett served as State Plans Officer for the Texas Army National Guard and Governor George W. Bush. After refusing to follow direct orders involving falsifying readiness reports, Burkett sought "whistleblower" status for reports involving anti-Semitic activity; personnel fraud; readiness fraud and the alteration of the personal military file of Governor George W. Bush. Lt. Col. Burkett is currently the plaintiff in his appeal to the US Supreme Court in the case of Burkett v. Goodwin, Taliaferro, Meador, et al, in regard to the retaliation against him following breaking the Bush records issue. Lt. Col Burkett served as a War Plans Officer during Operation Desert Storm and functioned as a senior trainer in conducting simulations exercises for deploying troops.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

David Neiwert:

http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/2004_01_18_dneiwert_archive.html#107489673457218778

Bush blew off his commitment to the Texas Air National Guard by failing to take a physical, and thereafter failing to report to his superior officers at his old unit for at least seven months. His flight status was revoked, and he never flew again -- at least, not until the Lincoln stunt.

These facts have never been disputed since they were uncovered, and in fact were acknowledged by Bush's spokespeople. Moreover, as Joe Conason has already noted, Bush actually falsified this aspect of his service in his ghost-written autobiography, A Charge to Keep, describing his pilot's training in some detail, then concluding: ''I continued flying with my unit for the next several years." In fact, Bush was suspended from flying 22 months after he completed his training -- a period that does not even generously fit Bush's description.

Several of Bush's former superiors in the TANG -- most of whom remain on friendly terms with the president -- have defended his service and suggested that there was nothing wrong with Bush's behavior in what for most other servicemen would be considered a fairly clear case of dereliction of duty.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[David Zephyr]

91. Well, Hallalujah, Halliburton!

Thanks for the good news, SkeptyCal.

[neverforget]

95. W's a "cheese-eating surrender monkey"

:evilgrin:

[Catherine Vincent]

111. Me thinks Clinton is probably lhao about now.

[TacticalPeek]

115. Kick.

Wimp.

[llmart]

117. My husband

was in the National Guard at the same time and he couldn't even get out of a weekend meeting when my father was in the hospital dying. My husband never missed one meeting or two-week summer camp in the 6 years he was in. I remember it vividly. It was next to impossible to get out of a weekend meeting.

[NNN0LHI]

121. OK Dammit! I want to know right now. Was Bush AWOL or a deserter!

Bwaaaaaaaaaaaa.

Don

[qb]

125. This is so sweet - Democrat defends Bush's military service...

by saying he was "only" AWOL. HAHAHAHAHA

Here's my idea for a TV commercial:
Two crowds of opposing fans shout across the stadium...
"DESERTER!"
"AWOL"
"DESERTER!"
"AWOL"
...
(like the "Tastes Great... Less Filling" commercial)

[snippy]

127. Great idea.

[calimary]

131. It's a candy mint! No! It's a breath mint!

Either way, he just screwed up. AGAIN.

Either way, he is UTTERLY UNACCEPTABLE as president, as commander-in-chief, as anything that even remotely smacks of a position of authority over others, including others' lives.

However, he IS well-qualified to play Pinocchio in some equity-waiver theatrical production. He even knows the dress-up part. AND he's a good bubble-gum blower.

[Ganja Ninja]

128. The Daily Howler lays the smack down on Peter Jennings.

It’s must reading here: www.dailyhowler.com/dh012304.shtml

The media has been AWOL for four years. Bush was a Deserter.

[Poseidon]

130. Oh no.

Bush was fucking AWOL, all right. And now he has killed 500+ in Vietnam II.

[Poseidon]

136. kicked again

kick

[NNN0LHI]

133. kick this baby once