Dirty politics in AZ? (Unexpected Dean Y1 deferrment story)

[Sal316]

Ok all you campaign savvy DU'ers, I have a question for you. I was reading this morning's Arizona Republic and saw this story...

<snip>
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0921dean-draft21.html
Back ailment got Dean Vietnam draft deferment

Candidate says the government made decision on his status

Sarah Schweitzer and Tatsha Robertson
Boston Globe
Sept. 21, 2003 12:00 AM

<snip>

Now I know most DU'ers know this story. My question is... why did this all of a sudden come out and is there a significance to the Boston Globe byline. Now let me state this very clearly...

I DO NOT BELIEVE KERRY'S CAMP SET THIS UP.

Even to my apolitical Dad this smelled like a setup. The article does mention one or two lines about *'s "service" in the National Guard. My Dad thinks, and I believe, that someone in *'s camp leaked this story to the Globe reporters on purpose to make people think it might have been Kerry.

Am I sane or is my tinfoil hat on too tight?

[joeybee12]

1. When all is said and done, military service doesn't seem to matter...

...to a whole heck of a lot of people.

Dumbo got away with it, and the media really tried to make Clinton's avoidance into WWIII, but most people didn't care.

True, people in the South cared about Clinton, but didn't care about Bush--they right-wing and hypocrites, and ya ain't gonna get their votes no matter what!

[gmoney]

2. Y1 = Yalie Deferrment?

The is the Arizona Republic(an) after all...

[EagleEye]

3. Better to beat this horse to death now

[Demobrat]

4. Yes. We all know the story but most people

still don't know who the candidates are, much less their military service records. People will ask. There's nothing there.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

5. I defer to polpilot on this one.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=108&topic_id=35692&mesg_id=44916&page=

[TacticalPeek]

6. Aside from intrique, or dis-intrique . . .

snip
Dean drew a relatively low lottery number, 143 out of 300, meaning he could have been called up after college, according to Lewis Brodsky, a Selective Service spokesman.
snip

I'll allow as to how an official Selective Service spokesman might know more about this than I. However, I was very studied up on draft rules and procedures and politics at exactly that time. Once the lottery method came in, the student deferment was totally irrelevant, in fact abolished. Even 'special' students (say part of your 'student' duties included designing nuclear weapons) were exempt not as students but as working in the 'vital national interest'. And even if 143 came up, the 1-Y would have still applied, so he wouldn't have been 'called up'. So the comment, and it's inclusion in this article just seem weird to me.

I think any media attention on our candidates' military service status should be seized upon as an opportunity to pound on aWol's disgraceful military record. I realize most elected officials, etc, are too chicken to do this, conveniently rationalizing it as 'old news', off-message or whatever. But everybody else should DO IT! Call in and email to talk shows, letters to the editor, etc. Was the President really AWOL for over a year? Will he release all his records to clear this up? What about the standing reward to any Alabama Guardsman who comes forward to confirm aWol's service during that period?

As a vet, I'm naturally pissed off that he was over the hill that long with NO punishment and NO accountability (his case may be without precedent). But I'm REALLY PISSED OFF that no one in mainstream media or with access will get this information before the public. Interest in our candidates' status is a natural chance to push this.




:kick:

[Another Bill C.]

7. The Arizona Republic

When I lived in Arizona, the Arizona Republic made no pretense about being anything but a Republican rag. If you wanted the "real" news, you had to pick up a free weekly shopper (I can't recall the name). The weekly shopper broke more news than the Arizona Republic. An example: faulty gas regulators were causing house explosions all over the valley. The regulators were made by Honeywell which had a big presence in Arizona. The story was "ignored" by the AR but the weekly shopper did an investigation and broke the news.

[blm]

8. This story has been out for awhile.

Some newspapers are just getting around to it. IThe Republic being a more conservative rag, I doubt they would print anything to HELP John Kerry. For Rove, yes. Kerry, no.

[AntiCoup2K4]

9. Guess who owns the Arizona Republic(an)?

Here's a hint... He's dumb, and he can't spell "potato".

[sandnsea]

10. This is OLD

Why are we hounding this to death? I'm a Kerry supporter and I find Howard's back about as interesting as what shampoo Edwards uses. This is the kind of thread I wish would get locked around here. It is totally a NONISSUE.