All of Bush’s records have been released, and my guess is that they will not be enough to mollify the chattering classes and the Bush-haters. Why do I guess that? Because this is a smear, not any sort of fact-based criticism.
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Andrew
At this story on MSNBC, NBC’s David Gregory contributed to this report saying:
“But the documents also show no sign that Bush received special treatment either to get into the Guard when there were long waiting lists at the height of the Vietnam War or to be discharged from it long before his six-year service obligation was completed in order to attend Harvard, or that he was subject to any disciplinary action while in the military.”
How much air do you think this sound bite will get?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4251208/
MJ
The answer to your question Andrew is ‘NONE”.
bendover
MJ, I think you’re missing Andrew’s point. My impreesion is that David Gregory (a total a**hat) will still pursue this meme because he is sure that such documents exist. In Gregory’s mind the fact that no such documents exist is irrelevant.
Far North
I wish the press had pursued this story back in 2000. We would be have been done with it.
No matter how you look at it, there are many holes and inconsistencies it the president’s explanation. One day, someone comes forward to say they overheard plans to “clean up” Bush’s file. The next day someone comes forward to say he served with Bush. This story has to run its course.
Charlie (Colorado)
North, you missed the part about the guy who claimed the records had been “cleaned up” being refuted by the very witnesses he cited, and his claims of having seen the records in a museum in Austin being contradicted by the fact the records hadbeen moved to Denver.
But, sadly, you’re right: we’re going tohave to listen to this slander for a while yet.
Far North
Charlie,
The president and his press secretary have made me very uncomfortable with their responses to the national guard questions. How can the Bush have left himself open on this? The White House press corps, usually a mild bunch, have been rabid in their questioning of Scott Mclellan all week.
addison
Far North wrote: “How can the [sic] Bush have left himself open on this?”
It looks like another, as they say, rope-a-dope. He gives people time and more time and more time to make their unsubstantiated claims and then he quietly says, “No, here is how it actually was.”
The problem in this case is that the press corp is almost wholly ignorant of military service, military record keeping, what “Honorable Discharge” even means, etc. Facts about the intricasies of the National Guard are like the proverbial water off a duck’s back to them. It would be as though I were to explain closed surface integrals to an English major whose highest math course was algebra.
There’s no common reference point…so they ignore the facts because those are getting in the way of “the story”, the vaunted and glorious “story”.
Why would the normally “mild mannered” White House press team be so vehement? They smell blood. Given the documented party affiliation of the press, it is doubtful that a man or woman in that room plans to vote for George Bush in November.
And to think, this all began because a Brigadier General could not remember seeing Bush on base. Well, I am wholly under-whelmed. A general does not remember a 2nd Lt. from 30 years ago…
Andrew Lazarus
Rope-a-dope would be when Bush pulls Alabama National Guard commendations out of a hat. Somehow, I don’t see his current behavior as falling into that. It’s more like Bill and Hillary’s slow response to Whitewater, the original, the S&L, where they appear to have been, if anything, victims who lost money. But their behavior was suspicious. Since I’m hoping for Bush to lose, perhaps we’ll see Plamegate and other skeletons in the Bush closet, wnough to distract him during the campaign if nothing else.
The Friday papers were still incomplete, with very little if anything on the missing months. Did more dribble out over the weekend? Anyway, didn’t you guys all say the papers didn’t exist??
Charlie (Colorado)
Anyway, didn’t you guys all say the papers didn’t exist??
No, you ass, I said they’d likely released all they had. According to the news, the big package was received by FedEx Friday morning and released Friday night.
And, by the way, I went through them fairly thoroughly today, and it looks like the famous “gap” is a page with some dates torn off. Total time in service 5 months short of 6 years, total days in service in excess of his obligation, and efficiency reports talk about him being an exceptional young officer and pilot, among the top ten percent of his peers. One of the efficiency reports specifically mentions how active he is in civil affairs, and how he plans to go to Alabama temporarily, so that puts the kibosh on the notion that he somehow “left without permission”.
His waiver for the dismissed “disorderly conduct” is in the files, but none for the traffic tickets — because, surprise, they don’t care about simple traffic tickets.
His selection board for a commission and flight school is in there too, after Basic, which disposes of the crazed notion that he somehow got an unusual instant promotion. (I’m still waiting for some ignorant looney to notice that Bush was honorably discharged twice, once after only three onths. C’mon, Andrew, try to make something of that.) The famous “reprimand for attendance” is there, clearly dated 1967, demonstrating how prescient the Air Force was to reprimand him five years in advance. (Hint: that’s part of the enlistment contract.)
Also there is his request for early discharge from the inactive reserve, duly approved by his senior officers without comment — as makes perfect sense, since he’d already completed his obligation.
And all his DD214, and NGSxx forms, the honorable discharge seperations.
His attendance records are in his file too, all in original handwriting, clearly dated (except for the torn page).
capt joe
Andrew, so you have answered your own question.
“Very little … on the missing months” and “didn’t you guys say the papers didn’t exist”
n’est-ce pas?
Anyway, the evals in his file show that he was an excellent pilot at the top of his class. Maybe you are looking for an MOH.
The docs show spotty attendance while at Alabama that were made up later. What were you looking at?
And on plamegate, I guess you haven’t been paying attention. From the current re-investigation since Ashcroft has excused him we have:
– two admin officials warned Novak not to print it.
– novak made up some details of his conversation with Admin officals.
Looks like Plamegate isn’t going to help you either.
Well, you wouldn’t really want someone like Kerry who showed up at a congressional committee with fake vets to make fake war crimes charges against US vets. But no, you would want him because character issues are only important against republicans.
Charlie (Colorado)
North, I’ve been following this the whole time; given the moving goalposts, the conspiracy theories, and the fact that all exculpatory evidence is discounted while discredited statements and the poor memory of an Alzheimer’s victim is taken as dispositive, what could they have possibly done to make you more comfortable?