USA Today has picked up the Bush deserter story

[Bluebear]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-09-07-new-bush-records_x.htm

The Pentagon and Bush's campaign have claimed for months that all records detailing his fighter pilot career have been made public, but defense officials said they found two dozen new records detailing his training and flight logs after The Associated Press filed a lawsuit and submitted new requests under the public records law.

"Previous requests from other requesters for President Bush's Individual Flight Records did not lead to the discovery of these records because at the time President Bush left the service, flight records were subject to retention for only 24 months and we understood that neither the Air Force nor the Texas Air National Guard retained such records thereafter," the Pentagon told the AP.

"Out of an abundance of caution," the government "searched a file that had been preserved in spite of this policy" and found the Bush records, the letter said. "The Department of Defense regrets this oversight during the previous search efforts.".... (comment:Yeah I bet it does!)

Democratic National Committee communications director Jano Cabrera disagreed. "For months George Bush told the nation that all his military records were public," he said. "Now we know why Bush was trying so hard to withhold these records. When his nation asked him to be on call against possible surprise attacks,Bush wasn't there."

[abburdlen]

1. Thank-you

again Micheal Moore, Wes Clark and oddly Peter Jennings

[Bread and Circus]

3. Yeah, to think Clark was "did-in" for this...

while the other Democandidates stonewalled at the podiums...

Meanwhile, back here all us nobobody's at DU had been calling him a Deserter/AWOL for months/years.

[DemDogs]

13. Clark was not done in for this

Leave it alone. We're on the same team now, and Clark has been a team player with others as the captain and co-captain of the team. Get used to it.

[Bread and Circus]

14. Don't tell me what to do, what to say, or what to think.

Thanks.

[FrenchieCat]

26. It is still worth discussing......

We may be on the same team, but those who spoke out when it was needed deserve their dues....coz when Kerry needs to look for a Secretary of State, he needs to look to the one that truly helped get his ass where he ends up. That would be General Wes Clark, who is not only outstandingly qualified for the job, but also worked to earn it (unlike other persons who's name we won't mention who have already claimed the mantle of SOS under a Kerry Admin for themselves because they just think it's their turn....and who's name starts with an "H").

Here's the story:
http://www.guerrillanews.com/media/doc5192.html

In January, during the Democratic primaries, filmmaker Michael Moore, appearing at a rally for then-presidential candidate Ret. General Wesley Clark, called Bush a "deserter," referring to Bush's apparent failure to report for duty in Alabama. A firestorm quickly developed, and Clark was widely condemned in the media for not challenging Moore's comment. During a Democratic primary debate, moderator and ABC News anchor Peter Jennings even suggested that Clark's failure to contradict Moore was an example of poor "ethical behavior."

Jennings, to Wesley Clark during the January 22 Democratic debate in New Hampshire:

JENNINGS: General Clark, a lot of people say they don't know you well, so this is really a simple question about knowing a man by his friends. The other day, you had a rally here and one of the men who stood up to endorse you was the controversial filmmaker Michael Moore. You said you were delighted with him. At one point, Mr. Moore said in front of you that President (George W.) Bush, he was saying he'd like to see a debate between you, the General (Clark), and President (George W.) Bush, who he called a deserter. Now, that's a reckless charge not supported by the facts. And I was curious to know why you didn't contradict him and whether or not you think it was -- would have been a better example of ethical behavior to have done so?

Jennings flatly declared Moore's allegation "reckless" and "not supported by the facts," despite the fact that, as noted earlier, there is no evidence that Bush showed up for duty when he was supposed to. And Jennings wasn't alone in criticizing Clark; the condemnation of Clark's decision not to contradict Moore's comments was so great, the event has been blamed for Clark's defeat in the primaries. For example, on the June 30 edition of FOX News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly said.....

Way More!!!!

[merbex]

2. Let the games begin

[gulliver]

4. "in his the (sic) F-102A jet used to intercept enemy aircraft."

Funny that there is a sentence in there that sounds like Bush actually did something like intercepting enemy aircraft. Looks like the line was edited. Note the "his the".

[City Lights]

5. This sentence pisses me off:

"Supporters of Democratic nominee John Kerry, a decorated Vietnam combat veteran, have criticized Bush for serving stateside in the National Guard."

No one criticizes him for serving stateside. We criticize him for not admitting that strings were pulled that allowed him to serve stateside, for failing to fulfill his commitment, and continuing to lie about it.

[Bluebear]

6. In total agreement with you.

I love how they ascribe things that supporters of Kerry have 'criticized' him for that are not even issues compared to going AWOL.

[Texas_Dem]

11. apparently bush didn't do very much "serving" stateside or

any side. He did lots of drinking, partying, and skipping physical exams however.

[Zookeeper]

19. Not to mention...

trashing his rented house and urinating on cars.

"GWB's Missing Year"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/salon/0,14779,1295936,00.html

[hippiegranny]

23. great read

this is what voters need to hear... but will they?

[City Lights]

20. Very true.

He didn't do a lot of serving, but he was certainly served often. :evilgrin:

[Democrat 4 Ever]

22. We are not criticizing the Air National Guard, we are criticizing

Bush for not fulfilling his commitment to the Air National Guard, the American taxpayers and lying about all of it.

[TXDemGal]

28. That's exactly right...and would make a good letter to the editor

The point that Smirk's NG duty isn't what we're critical of, but rather his obligation to fulfill the duty for which he signed up. That'd make a nice, punchy letter to the editor of USA Today.

[xrepub]

30. 60 minutes

<<

CBS has now gone live with its online promo for the Ben Barnes interview that is running tomorrow evening. But, as I noted earlier, that's not what the headline will be after the segment runs.

The big news won't be how Bush got into the Guard but how he blew off his duties once he got there. Again, new documents -- stuff that is clear and straightforward and apparently puts beyond any debate or doubt that the now-President blew off the duties that he said, as recently as this year, that he fulfilled.
-- Josh Marshall
>>

[rndmprsn]

7. lets hope this gets legs!

[bushwakker]

8. Kerry has to run with this

challenge him soon on this stuff or it will blow over.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

12. No we should run with it

Write a letter to the editor of your paper. Talk to your fiends and acquaitances about it.

Let Kerry stand above the fray.

[Bluebear]

15. Good idea, I have many 'fiends' :))

[gatorboy]

9. Gee, that's twice he wasn't ready for a U.S attack...

Our fearless leader......

[Bluebear]

10. GREAT point nt

[senseandsensibility]

16. That last paragraph in quotes

was from the DNC communications' director. At least they seem to be willing to get their hands a little dirty with this one.

[ncteechur]

17. This is the top story on the Cox Communications NC homepage! eom

[ezekiel333]

18. Time to pluck a chickenhawk

And it is about time. Spread the word far and wide about the "war" resident, our "deserter in chief".

[Awsi Dooger]

21. I'm surprised they didn't bury it

I checked the web edition home page and it's linked under "Latest Headlines," near the top right. So perhaps it will get a semi-prominent spot in the print edition Wednesday.

[John_H]

25. Never fear. CNN, MSRNC, NBC, ABC, and CNRNC will bury it.

CBS might carry it since (and only since) they are doing Barnes.

[mbali]

32. They can't bury it now - too late

ABC.com, USA Today, NY Times, Boston Globe, AP and others are all carrying it.

It's out there now. They've got to report it - even if it's just to say that others are reporting the story.

[ezekiel333]

31. Kick

[sundog]

24. It's also on Yahoo! home page right now... but not cnn.com (surprised?)

[ScreamingMeemie]

27. Bout time...

Of course, it's just the "liberal media" trying to smear Bush again. :eyes: Hope it continues.

[FrenchieCat]

29. Great article

Read this whole story.....it gives us the ammunition we will need if somehow the "liberal" media doesn't go anywhere with this story...it's full of facts, comparisons with how the media handled the Kerry story vs. the Bush story. Even gets into how Wes Clark was dealt with by the media during the primaries vs. a comparable situation for Bush which was hushed up.

http://www.guerrillanews.com/media/doc5192.html

Candidates, Two Military Records, Two Standards
Media Matters for America, September 6, 2004

Editor's note: It was a bad week for "veteran" Bush. Though you'd never know it if you get your info from the Fox News Channel. This weekend, the AP reported that a series of documents that should have been written to explain gaps in President Bush's Texas Air National Guard service are missing from the military records released about his service in 1972 and 1973. The missing records are just the latest evidence that points to a concerted effort to cover up the fact Bush never reported for duty, and was thus AWOL, while serving in the Air National Guard in 1972....

>Snip

Though much is known about Bush's Guard record -- that he was grounded from flying for failing to take a physical, for example - - some questions linger. Among those identified by USA Today:

Why did Bush, described by some of his fellow officers as a talented and enthusiastic pilot, stop flying fighter jets in the spring of 1972 and fail to take an annual physical exam required of all pilots?

>Snip

One might think -- since we already know that Bush skipped a required physical, causing him to be grounded, and that records give no indication that he showed up for duty for several months - - that media coverage of questions about the candidates' Vietnam- era service would focus on Bush's record. But that's not what has happened so far during this presidential campaign, according to a Media Matters for America review of media coverage of the candidates. Not only has the media given substantially more attention to baseless charges leveled against Kerry, they have repeatedly held Bush to a lower standard than other candidates.

more, more, more.....

[gardenista]

33. NO SHOW BUSH! nt