Judge Orders U.S. to Find Bush Records

[Sleepless In NY]

Judge Orders U.S. to Find Bush Records

Thu Sep 16, 6:23 PM ET

By MATT KELLEY, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - A federal judge has ordered the Pentagon (news - web sites) to find and make public by next week any unreleased files about President Bush (news - web sites)'s Vietnam-era Air National Guard service to resolve a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by The Associated Press.

U.S. District Judge Harold Baer Jr. handed down the order late Wednesday in New York. The AP lawsuit already has led to the disclosure of previously unreleased flight logs from Bush's days piloting F-102A fighters and other jets.


Pentagon officials told Baer they plan to have their search complete by Monday. Baer ordered the Pentagon to hand over the records to the AP by Sept. 24 and provide a written statement by Sept. 29 detailing the search for more records.


"We're hopeful the Department of Defense (news - web sites) will provide a full accounting of the steps it has taken, as the judge ordered, so the public can have some assurance that there are no documents being withheld," said AP lawyer David Schulz.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&ncid=716&e=5&u=/ap/20040916/ap_on_el_pr/bush_guard_records

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Pass the popcorn

[Hepburn]

2. OMG....

....I wonder if Bush Boy fell over in a dead faint now that there is a judge ordering that these are found and turned over. OUCH!!

I LOVE IT!!!!! :bounce:

[Mokito]

5. Do you think they would have the ba**s to appeal? nt

[Hepburn]

11. Yep....

....there is no doubt in my mind that the order will be appealed. But...how will that look to the public? Bush does not want his records released and all the BS that is going around about how he "ordered" them to be released. He sent a letter and not a form 180 and he cannot be dumb enough - well maybe - to think that a letter would do when the military REQUIRES a signed form 180. Still, when the DOJ lawyers appeal it, should be fun to watch BushCo try and spin it. Please pass the popcorn.

[Catshrink]

7. Those damn activist judges!

just kidding -- hooray for the judicial branch!

[Scooter24]

3. Rove must have choken on his food

when he heard this. Don't worry, the best forgery specialists in the CIA are on the case no doubt.

[northstar]

4. Cool! This sort of thing is exactly why the founding fathers

created three equal (but different) branches of the government...if one branch became 'rogue', the other two were to 'pull it back'.

Hurrah for the Judicial Branch!!!! (and Judge Baer, because he is a representing/implementing the powers of that branch - just as the founders intended!) :-)

[lapfog_1]

6. Let's not get our knickers in a twist

You know the military will pass everything by the white house before
releasing it, even under a court order. So we know that the BFEE
"cleansed" the records back in the late nineties... and if there is
anything left, they will appeal it to the SCOTUS (executive privilege).
And that will take time... I'm sure at least 6 to 8 weeks.

[AZCat]

9. Maybe the AP should take a page out of their playbook...

And try to take the case to the SCOTUS right now, just like the Bush campaign did in 2000 regarding the Florida recount. That'd do two things (IMHO): push the issue in the press, and prevent the Bush administration from using this as a delaying tactic.

Of course, the SCOTUS might not cooperate. That's when we know we're in real trouble come November...

[JSJ]

8. what does the bush wh do best? it evades court orders, that's what

[Brundle_Fly]

10. Does this matter?

I mean these guys have renounced the world court, what is some judge's order going to do, I didn't see any consequences for failing to oblige the order.

I think we'll get more of the same bs we got in Feb.

Maybe the fact they are still not all released will get some press...maybe, maybe, something will happen....

Let's all cross our fingers.

[Moderator]

12. Duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=832098