*BOMBSHELL* Bush was AWOL in 1972!

[Raiden]

Bush Was AWOL in 1972; Repeatedly Misled Press, Public About Guard Service

By John Byrne, Raw Story Editor | 8/1/04

A four-month investigation conducted by a Philadelphia researcher and independently confirmed by RAW STORY finally proves that President George W. Bush did not successfully complete his service with the Texas Air National Guard.

The president’s own payroll records — recently released by the White House in an effort to discredit claims that the president had failed to meet Guard requirements — instead indicate that he was absent without leave (AWOL) in 1972, and should have been placed on active duty for nearly four months.

“If you don’t show up, you’re absent without leave, by definition,” said Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower, Reserve Affairs, Installations and Logistics under Ronald Reagan from 1981-1985, Lawrence J. Korb. “You would be put on active duty and sent wherever they needed you.”

Korb examined Bush’s payroll records Monday. Asked if he thought Bush was AWOL, he said, “Based on these payroll records, unless he had permission, it would be.”

Bush could not have gotten permission, which he would have needed to get in advance, because he did not yet know of the months he was going to miss until May 1972. It not until May 1972 that he was offered a position to campaign in an Alabama Senate campaign – well after all the trainings that he might have applied.

Rest found here:
http://www.bluelemur.com/index.php?p=176

[skooooo]

1. call me when this hits mainstream

[calico1]

2. Yeah, these reports are good

but unfortunately if they don't hit mainstream sources no one is going to know.

[Raiden]

3. This won't be going mainstream

You can bet on that

[Stew225]

15. I agree, "Raw Story", however poetically named,

is not exactly mainstream, so let's not wet our pants with jubilation. Of course, the same advice would apply to "number two".

[MallRat]

4. I absolutely agree. It's great reporting...

...but if a reporter creates a great piece of investigative journalism, and nobody reads it, does it make a sound?

We must find a way to get this story picked up... SOMEWHERE.

-MR

[RodneyCK2]

5. Excellent...finally.

The truth always comes out in the end. Thanks for posting.

[MsUSA]

7. Good to remember Paul Lynde .....

I loved that guy.

[RodneyCK2]

14. He had so many good quotes.

Always made me laugh and still does. May he be in a better place today.

[goclark]

22. Kicking it to mainstream

because we only have less than three months to get him out of office.

That means that this story needs legs by this weekend.

It is a great story,hope someone picks it up.

[rawstory]

6. stop reposting me! ;)

Aahh! Thanks, I guess. Just don't want to annoy the mods.

I'm so, so annoyed at the mainstream media. I'm working my ass off to get this out there and it's a real bitch. If anyone wants to float it to someone on their own, be my guest. Right now I feel like I wanna crawl up and lie in a hole.

[grasswire]

8. I hate to sound like a pessimist...

...but I was one of the original team of activists on Table Talk that tried to force the breaking of the AWOL story prior to the 2000 campaign. Our hearts were broken -- Marty Heldt had the documents, no one who had a platform had any interest. Thousands of faxes, emails, phone calls, personal visits got us nowhere.

Your best bet now is to start posting this news on message boards and blogs and spread the news. Atrios and some of the others. I'll send it to a contact I have at The Washington Post.

[rawstory]

9. Can others contact Atrios? Josh Marshall?

Atrios doesn't like me, he never does anything when I email him - I think for some reason I must have irrirated him somewhere earlier along the line.

If a lot of people email these guys we might get a little farther along.

Thanks for passing it along to the post. I'm trying to get in touch with Walter Robinson, who wrote the original piece for the Boston Globe.

[bobbieinok]

11. I followed this at table talk...shortly before the election I called Marty

I suggested he try to get IA papers to print the story with "IA link".

From what I remember, he said he'd tried many IA papers....they said it was too partisan or that it was 'old news', etc.

THERE IS A MAJOR BLOCK ON THIS STORY

[buycitgo]

19. do I get to say me, too on this?

I sent him money, FWIW

[KC21304]

10. Great work. I think it will get more play when the

" Unfit" book comes out. I noticed one error. You may have corrected it by now. You have 1973 as the year he missed from April through Sept. I believe the year was 1972. Good luck and Thanks for all your hard work.


On edit: The piece I am talking about says ( paraphrasing) The records show he received no credit for April, May, June, July, August and Sept of 1973. I believe this should be 1972. I know part of this would be fiscal 1973 but I don't know if that is what you meant.

[democrank]

12. I have been following the AWOL story since 2000

and refuse to give up. I`ve sent over a 100 emails to the media, letters to editors, AWOL bumperstickers, AWOL lawn signs. There MUST be a way to get this story out. Maybe the folks at awolbush.com could help us out.

[RobertSeattle]

13. Send this to John O'Neil

I'm sure he'll start up Texas Air National Guard Vets for Truth...

:puke:

[Disturbed]

16. Why didn't W join the Air Force?

If W wanted to follow in his father's footsteps why did he join the Air Guard and check the box "No Overseas Deployment". Myth has it that his father was a fighter pilot in WW11. This is not the case. Bush1 was a curior. The point is that W didn't want to be involved in "real action" &/or his family didn't want to have him risk actual combat which is why strings were pulled to get him in the Air Guard.

[buycitgo]

20. what's a curior?

carrier?

he did fly off carriers. can't remember if it was a fighter-bomber, or torpedo plane, but there are those who say he panicked, and bailed out before he needed to, letting his two crewmates DIE due to his cowardice

nasty nasty accusation, but it sure fits the family profile, yes?

[floda]

17. Send it to foreign newspapers

They can analise it and print it if they find out it's reliable.
When it gets in the European newspaper the U.S. press has to follow.

[RodneyCK2]

18. I hope you don't mind, but I sent it to Reuters...

Here is what I sent to the editors... I would suggest contacting all the news organizations. The more requests they receive, the better.

Dear Editors,

I want to bring a news story to your attention in hopes that your organization will check the sources and report it fairly to the rest of the world. If this news story is valid, it would be a significant insight into the claim that George W. Bush was AWOL in 1972, repeatedly misled the press and public about his Texas Air National Guard service.

The link is here..
http://www.bluelemur.com/index.php?p=176

Thank you for your time.
Best regards,
Rodney XXXXXXXX

[Broward]

21. GWB is a flip flopper

He goes AWOL (that's anti-military), now, he says he's pro-military. Will this guy make up his mind?

[Miss Authoritiva]

23. Is this an important distinction?

“I did report; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been honorably discharged,” Bush said.

Did Bush receive an "honorable discharge" or a "general discharge" under honorable circumstances?

The point being that "honorably discharged" is not an official term; it's a colloquial expression. If Bush got a general discharge, he got busted for something.

Or since the records were so thoroughly scrambled and cooked did the military figure they might as well give the fortunate son an honorable discharge as well....

Also, I've noticed that on some copies of Bush's discharge form, his height and weight are blacked out, as are his race, martial status, and number of dependents. Any significance?