An interesting piece on Bush’s Guard service and how he avoided danger by flying the F102, via the Donovans.
Also, this Lileks quote regarding Kerry’s lies nuance regarding Cambodia is spot on:
If Kerry
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Bloggerhead
John, I know you’re loath to read Kevin Drum, because he had gall to research whether Bush showed up for duty in Alabama (which I guess it’s now Bush’s (cough) responsibility (cough) to prove he did) and because Kevin’s commenters offend your delicate sensibilities, but you really should check out his discussion of Kerry’s diary entry for 12/24/68. In it there’s an admittedly cryptic phrase that doesn’t lend itself to much other interpretation than that Kerry was in or near Cambodia on that day. Is that enough, Crowman? Or do I have to build a time-machine and take you on my own little swift boat ride?
Bender
quick question for you:
what exactly is the most likely religion of a late 60s south veitnamese soldier?
John Cole
Bloggerhead:
A.) Drum NEVER understood the National Guard, never understood that extended periods of drill are often missed, and still, to this date, does not understand that Bush missed no flight physical. Bush missed his flight physical not because he was burning his draft card or running to Canada, but because he was not going to BE ON FLIGHT STATUS ANYMORE, and it was not necessary. So spare me any sanctimony about Drum and his research.
B.) Apply the same tenacity to Kerry’s claims that you have to Bush.
Bloggerhead
Yeah, John, I’m noticing the same thing myself with regard to the present conflict. Reservists & guardsmen are missing drills all over the place.
RW
Maybe Bush went to Cambodia prior to the national guard deciding that he’d met all criteria & presented him with an honorable discharge?
I question the timing of the leak to Drum, anyhow (after all, he wasn’t on the plane with Bush).
Was that enough snark for everyone? :)
John of Argghhh!
Bloggerhead – gee, let’s mix some oil and water… Vietnam, where the Guard and Reserve was hardly used, with the COE (current operating environment) where we couldn’t live without them.
As if the situations regarding the two wars are analgous. Puh-leeze.
And if you want a dirty little secret of the Guard – try to figure out how many people the Guard (and Reserve) moved from drill status to the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) because they didn’t want to have to report them as losses? Largish problem in the 80’s and 90’s. Made very apparent of late since the services are dipping into the IRR (non-drilling reservists) to meet the needs.
And, unlike Vietnam, this war (regardless of whether or not you support it) is more popular than Vietnam was at the time in question, eh?
Dude, don’t ruin your valid points by dropping in silly drivel.
John Cole
Bloggerhead-
Again, I forgive you for being ill-informed.
A.) Overall, force structure is completely different today in regards to the Guardand Reserve, and there is much more reliance on them than there used to be- although Bush’s duty was one of the more used types of units back then.
B.) All over the coutnry, there are National Guard and Reserve units that have no orders for deployment, and in each unit I guarantee that there are at least 3-5, perhaps more, individuals who have not attended drill for numerous months for any number of reasons, whether it be to attend school, to study abroad, to run an election campaign, because they are away on business.
C.) At the time that you idiots are accusing Bush of being AWOL, the drawdown in Vietnam was so huge that there were THOUSANDS of pilots COMPETING for airtime and combat time.
D.) Also at the time you claim he was AWOL, his type of lane was being de-commissioned and put out of service, and there is simply no way the military would pay to retrain a piolot to fly another plane- for 4 months.
If you would stop being a sarcastic, back-biting, partisan lackey for five minutes, you could look this shit up for yourself.
Or you could keep gulping down the bullshit gruel that Kevin Drum, Josh Marshall, and Terry McAullife keep spoon-feeding you.
Has anyone but me noticed that none of the milbloggers have any problem with Bush’s guard service, but all of the nancy boys who would have run to Canada in 67 are now questioning it?
Rick
John,
Wasn’t the alleged “AWOL” period (actually just some rescheduled or excused drills, which happen ALL THE *EFFIN* TIME) in the Spring of ’73? Or later?
‘Cause the “Paris Accord” was signed in January 1973. So there wasn’t even any military conflict a-going on, contrary to the ‘head’s initation above.
Cordially…
Flugelhorn
All else aside, I was wonder if anyone could clarify this part of Kerry’s quote for me.
“The absurdity of almost being killed by our own allies in a country in which President Nixon claimed there were no American troops was very real.”
Now, this is an honest question here…
The year is 1968. The Day is Christmas. By my calculations, Nixon would have been elected President that November, but at Christmas that year, he would still only have been the President-elect, not the actual President. Would Johnson not have vacated office until Jan. 20, 1969 of the following year? Just as if Bush were defeated in november this year, he would not leave office until Jan. 20, 2005?
Am I wrong? Am I correct and this is old news? Someone throw me a rope here.
Karen
I would like to know why I have to keep reading in comments about Bush’s service when we’re talking about Kerry’s service. (I’m not talking about responses to specific comments or questions). Alternatively, the response is to attack the accusers without addressing their statements. How about addressing the issue re Vietnam and Cambodia? Ha! A challenge! Can a democrat write a paragraph addressing this issue without using the words Bush, Cheney, Rove, National Guard, right wing or extremist?!
Bill Harrington
The infamous “not
observed” notes in the President’s service record do not denote one being AWOL-they are the means by which the reviewing officer can defer evaluation to other authority. I know-I was a Navy personnel clerk and filed or prepared many of these same types of evaluations.