"I Did My Duty," President Says of His Military Service Record

[kskiska]

(snip)

But Bush, speaking in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, said that if records exist that will put to rest any doubts about his service, he is "absolutely" willing to authorize the release of those documents covering his service in the Texas and Alabama National Guard units.

He was referring to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service in Colorado, which maintains pay records of service members and presumably would have documentation on whether Bush had showed up for all of his military duty.

But officials at the agency, in Denver and at the headquarters in Washington, told The Times last week that before any records could be released, a Freedom of Information Act request must be filed and that the agency would then show the records to the White House communications office before proceeding.

Bryan Hubbard and Roger Still, spokesmen for the agency, said the processing could take months. They suggested that the White House might turn down the request.

more…
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/whitehouse/la-na-guard9feb09,1,1331740.story

[tom_paine]

1. Well, THAT's a lie!

Not that anyone in Imperial Pravda will call him on it, like the rest of his many lies.

[WhereIsMyFreedom]

50. Well, he spoke the truth about releasing documents anyway

He only promised to release those documents that prove he "did his duty". He didn't say that he would release the documents that prove that he didn't do it.

[xultar]

2. Well I did my Doodie too 2day. no bigggie, oh he's talking about

Ntl Gard stuff.

never mind.

[Beetwasher]

3. Dems Need to Keep the Heat On

I hope it does take months and the pay stubs are released in, oh, I don't know, October?

[NNN0LHI]

10. They will never be released. You know that

But that will be just one more thing the Dems will have to campaign on. Where is the proof you promised George?

Don

[0007]

42. You got that right! Just like junior said we could go look at his Harken..

dealing's - Did we ever get to see 'em? Naw, he wasn't doing too much inside trading.

Again hiding the proof that would set him free.

[Just Me]

47. "Faux" president, military hero, businessman,...using $1M and our military

,...for a commercial for himself!!! YUP!!! Keep the heat on these people who keep usin' and abusin' and corruptly misusin' us and the resources of this country to benefit THEIR "image", THEIR bank accounts, THEIR power!!!

<edit - I find myself, sometimes, communicating as if I am talking to that, that,..."faux" leader, and had to correct, accordingly *sigh*>

[central scrutinizer]

4. inaccurate reporting

Here is the way Josh Marshall parses the question and answer:

MR. RUSSERT: Would you authorize the release of everything to settle this?
PRESIDENT BUSH: Yes, absolutely. We did so in 2000, by the way.

Now, what to make of this?

The president gives a flat-out, unambiguous answer: he'll release all his military service records.

Then he tosses in that next line: "We did so in 2000, by the way."

As I noted above, this is false: he didn't release those records in 2000.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/

[sangh0]

9. Those "add-on" phrases are circumstantial evidence of a lie

Whenever you hear someone adding unasked for info, check it out. There's a good chance it's a lie.

ISTR Bush* doing this before, and it also revealed a lie, but I forget the specifics. ISTR it had something to do with 9/11 and how he (and maybe his wife) reacted.

[NNN0LHI]

11. That is why the cops like talkative suspects n/t

[louis-t]

13. Could you be referring to ...

* saying he saw the first plane hit WTC and "the TV must have been on" and he thunk "that's not a very good pilot" ?

[ThoughtCriminal]

37. The spin is

The Honorable Discharge is proof, so I've already provided a record.

I can't think of a quicker way the kill a military career than for a C.O. to charge a Congressman's kid with anything. I guess a few folks night buy it as proof - after all somebody keeps Nigerian spammers in business.

[SoCalDem]

5. He did do his "duty"

He just spelled it wrong ..He meant "doody"

[madrchsod]

6. why doesn`t kerry or clark

as him why he didn`t take the drug test after the usa taxpayers spent close to a million dollars to train him. and why did he sign the paper saying he wouldn`t serve overseas when he`s sending our sons and daughters to a war that he started?

[Ripley]

7. It is a mystery no?

This seems to be a huge gift to Kerry to clobber Smirk with...but funny when asked Kerry changed the topic and said something about not begrudging those who didn't serve in-country.

Schmuck.

[NNN0LHI]

15. Schmuck? Hmmm

Kerry Criticizes Bush Over Guard Service


"The issue here is, as I have heard it raised, is was he present and active in Alabama at the time he was supposed to be," said Kerry, a decorated Vietnam War veteran. "I don't have the answer to that question and just because you get an honorable discharge does not in fact answer that question."

In an interview broadcast Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," Bush said he reported for duty and that his critics were wrong.

"I served in the National Guard. I flew F-102 aircraft. I got an honorable discharge," Bush said. "I've heard this — I've heard this ever since I started running for office. I put in my time, proudly so."

Kerry, who watched Bush's interview with Warner at the governor's mansion, also took issue with Bush for saying that deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) had the ability to make deadly weapons.

"This is a far cry from what the president and his administration told the people in 2002," he said.

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Politics/ap20040208_1064.html

[JoFerret]

16. Timing, and

...and this way he play the magnanimous superior. Don't want to seem to pile on - that role is for the surrogtaes so Kerry can rise above it all.

[Taeger]

14. Big issue

He wasted millions of taxpayer dollars in the guard. They trained him, and then he skipped out of his duty.

There is ZERO chance that he would have been able to transfer AT ALL if he wasn't the son of a congressman. They don't just TRAIN pilots and then let them skip off for a few years.

Bush FUCKED UP big time. He was better off when he was being evasive. He's dug his whole DEEPER.

HE DID NOT DO HIS DUTY!!!! Once he was trained on the F-102, he had a duty to FINISH his tour flying F-102s.

He had a DUTY to take a physical. He failed that duty. He NEVER took the physical.

Once transferred, He NEVER DRILLED with the Alabama National Guard. He was transferred to FML for discipline. He never showed up THEIR because thats a "paper unit". Basically it is a pool of individuals who FAILED THEIR NATIONAL GUARD DUTY and were eligible for draft.

After Dubaya cleared his base in Houston, it is doubtful that he EVER showed up for another drill.

Finally, the fact that he LEFT the guard 8 months early is positively deriliction. There was NOTHING about Harvard business school that kept Bush from fullfilling his service. He only needed to do ONE WEEKEND per month. He was a PILOT, so he could have FLEW HIMSELF back to Houston.

A man of honor would have FINISHED his tour. Bush IS NOT a man of honor.

[0rganism]

8. Months? There are websites that advertise getting records in a week!

Man, what a crock this is. I did a google on DD-214, and damned if there weren't dozens of agencies promising veterans that they could round up copies of their service records in a matter of days, or even reconstruct information from damaged documents. Now these sites could all be scams, it's quite possible.

But I have to believe that if bush wanted those records made public ASAP, what with being the CiC, he could get them tomorrow. And it wouldn't be the first time his social standing put him at the front of the line, either.

[oneighty]

43. Our Republican

Congressman's office (Amo Houghton) got proof of service for a friend of mine in a couple of days. There are sources for military records other than St Louis. They just are not as complete.

180

[louis-t]

12. Records most likely purged or scrubbed...

* has already said he doubts the records exist. Meaning he knows they're already purged. Big Daddy Karl has instructed bushie on how to frame the debate: "First, Junior, you imply that the critics are insulting the National Guard. No matter what anyone says, keep repeating that. It works. We'll keep saying that your commander is recanting, we'll portray him as a doddering old fool, end of story. Also remember to keep your 'Newt's List' of words with you at all times. Keep saying "I served proudly, I flew airplanes, I defended my country, I was there, I did my time, I protected Americans, I did my part....."

Most amazing spin machine the world has ever seen. * will not have any time to attack Dems in the election. He will be too busy trying to save his own butt. He will be on the defensive until November. If he tries to attack Dem Candidate, he will look even more foolish. If that's possible.

[saskatoon]

30. "knows they're already purged

I recall that some years ago, I was on a site that showed two small printouts re Bush that showed he hadn't checked in with his unit when he was supposed to. Think it said he was off campaigning for his father. I'm terribly vague on this, Sorry. Some individual has surely kept a copy of what I'm referring to---I HOPE.

[bobbieinok]

38. www.awolbush.com and links, probably

...

[finecraft]

17. My Repug Boss and his rational...

This is what he told me this morning: (by the way, he is a Desert Storm Marine Corp. vet)

"If it is a Bush*/Kerry contest, I could not vote for John Kerry, based on his actions after his discharge from the military. I have all the respect in the world for Kerry and his military service, but his throwing away of his medals shows me that he has no respect for the military and military personnel. It is a great honor to be awarded the medals that Kerry was, and for him to throw them away is a slap in the face to the other service members that have received those same medals of distinction. In my view, what he did with his medals could be likened to someone burning the American flag, and I could not vote for anyone with that history as the Commander and Chief of our military. Bush, on the other hand, may not have shown up for all of his National Guard duties, but it's the Guard's fault that he was not forced to fulfill his commitment. During that time, quite a few people chose to perform duties for the guard and military that did not require them to go to Vietnam. If Bush's unit did not require that he attend regularly scheduled drills, I guess it was his good luck to be assigned to that unit. Bush never repudiated the military like Kerry did, and I respect him for that."

How do I answer that????? (Other than tell him he's an idiot!)

[Zero Gravitas]

18. don't bother

if someone is going to twist reality like that to fit their own agenda there is no point arguing with them. Kerry throwing away the medals that he earned to protest a war that he thought was wrong is worse than Bush not showing up for for duty in the TANG, a position that he did not earn. WTF? I mean come on, even if you don't agree with Kerry's actions, he had every right to do so and did it as part of a principled stand. Bush has never sacrificed anything for principle or taken a stand on any subject other than lining the pockets of his campaign contributors.

[JoFerret]

31. Of course, Kerry did not actually throw them away

....he still has them framed. It was symbloc and courageous act.But I get your point. Mind you the attack dogs of Rove scum will be out in force to dig up the dirt on Kerry. But somehow - being Jewish, having an inch off your jaw, womanizing with adults, dating film stars and protesting a war is as nothing compared with dereliction of duty by someone happy to send people to die for dubuious causes based on cherry-picked evidence.

[Bandit]

19. but it's the Guard's fault

Can you believe that nothing is ever Bush*'s fault?

[Shopaholic]

20. Anybody seen this?

The link was sent to me by a friend--apparently this blogger has done some research on Bush's guard service records. Don't know how accurate it is, but here's the link:

http://www.calpundit.com/archives/003220.html

[LiberalFighter]

21. So it's ok to do something illegal or unethical until told to stop?

You can not show up for work until your boss tells you to come in. Then you come in for the day. The next day you don't come in and don't bother until your boss tells you to.

bush* signed a contract with the Guard. Does that mean any contracts your boss signs with clients don't have to be enforced?

As for the Guard failing to enforce his commitment most likely bush* manipulated the system so that his whereabouts were difficult to pinpoint. Playing the Texas ANG against the Alabama ANG

[finecraft]

24. I know, unbelievable isn't it?

I was in shock when he told me that. I didn't (and still don't) know how to respond. I do know that my boss gets the talking points of the day from the Louisiana Republican Party, so maybe this is the line of reasoning they are going to attack Kerry with. Just wanted everyone to know that there is some serious psycho thinking going around.

[dw]

23. There is no answer...

Obviously your boss' mind is made up, and no facts will change it.

But there's a clear distinction between desecrating the flag, which all citizens are obliged to honor, and Kerry's choosing to throw away the medals for valor and service which he earned. His action was not a repudiation of other servicemen, but of the political machine that sent us all over there in the first place.

I've told the story here before of a court martial in Fort Lewis, WA, that happened about the time of Bush's 'service'. I was defense counsel for a kid from Iowa whose widowed mother needed him on the family farm during harvest season. She had no one else to bring in the harvest, and she would have lost the farm if she couldn't bring in the crops and meet the mortgage obligation.

The kid, her only son, requested leave to go home for the harvest. His request was denied by his company commander. The kid made a decision to go home anyway, brought in the crops and returned to duty as soon as he could. He was gone 31 days, and was convicted of desertion (for being absent from the morning report for more than 30 days).

His penalty: two years hard labor, reduction in rank to E-1, loss of pay and a dishonorable discharge.

I heard several similar stories from other veterans of both the Korean War and Vietnam eras. There was a clear distinction in the way the military treated draftees and National Guard 'volunteers'.

The kid's only crime, in my eyes, was not being born into the Bush family.

Your boss knows all this first hand. He just chooses to believe that Bush is an honorable man, and unfortunately you'll never be able to prove the negative of that lie.

[Rebellious Republican]

28. Thats easy, point out that it was not [i]"his good luck"[/i] , but

rather his good fortune, as in FORTUNATE SON! I am sure he is familar with that term.

[LiberalFighter]

44. Or if he was first in line for the National Guard...

it would be okay for bush* to jump from #250 all the way in front of him and possibly keep him out the last spot available?

[kskiska]

33. The Chimp went kicking and screaming into the Guard

A Houston Chronicle story published in 1994, quoted in Corn’s book, has Bush saying: “I was not prepared to shoot my eardrum out with a shotgun in order to get a deferment. Nor was I willing to go to Canada. So I chose to better myself by learning how to fly airplanes.”

http://www.michaelmoore.com/

Maybe if his father wasn't a congressman, he'd be a Canadian citizen today.

[RapidCreek]

46. Bush repudiated the military in the worst way possible

He abandoned his brothers in arms. Kerry risked his life defending them. Ask your boss who he'd rather serve in combat with. A guy who didn't show up for duty or a guy who did so with bravery above and beyond the call of duty. Imagine the war in Iraq being fought by Battalions full of GWB's. Regardless of what TV commercials might suggest...every real soldier knows that wars are not won with "an army of one"....no more so than a football game.

By the way....I know several Desert Storm Marine Corp vets...they served with an engineering division and saw no more combat than I did...sitting on my ass in chicago, watching it all unfold on TV.

RC

[Palacsinta]

22. You're telling me that the WH couldn't get those records?

in a snap of it's "fingers", or a twitch of it's "nose" if it wanted to? What utter BS!!!

[jus_the_facts]

25. Yeah and we're bein' strangled on all the ad nauseum BS......

.....it's so deep now all OUR eyes have turned brown!! :eyes:

[llmart]

26. I know someone

who is a serious geneologist and she said that if the individual who served is still alive then releasing all military records is a piece of cake if you have that person's approval.

[LiberalFighter]

45. That falls under the following requirement.

Service records for soldiers who have served within the last seventy-five years are restricted to immediate family member.

[The Sushi Bandit]

27. Screw him.. he's out of here!

[OutlawCorporatePolls]

29. Bush Honorable Discharge Records

http://www.seanet.com/~johnco/bushdischarge.htm

is this little fight being cooked up to help establish kerry as the dems pick. i told u it would be called the Bonesman Shadowbox.

[NNN0LHI]

34. Chimpys Honorable Discharge Records mean shit

I want to know where he was at for over a year. And why was he working for a political campaign instead of doing what he signed up for? These are the questions that need to be answered.

Don

[justsam]

32. you mean that

Ashcroft the attorney gereral can't get those records using the reason that it may stop WW3

[scarface2004]

35. but if it was kerry who ducked out of the guard...

all the files would have been uploaded to the drudgereport last week.

bush is a lunatic!!

[Malva Zebrina]

36. Right he did his duty and showed up to take his physical right on time

right? Is that not part of his "duty"? He cannot stop lying and that tells me he is in very deep "dooty"

[Unknown Known]

39. Another question to ask

Why wouldn't the bush family keep these records themselves? Afterall, isn't he the only one out of the four sons who served in the military - or pretended to? And with Poppy's supposed heroic fly-boy image, you think Babs woulda kept those papers on her precious georgie. BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!

I swear, this family is the biggest bunch of grifting con artist carnies I've ever seen. I have more respect for John Gotti.

[Snappy]

40. The Boss.

Sympathy goes out to you that you have a boss that is such a deluded jerk-off. Damn! That sucks!!!!

[Chicago Democrat]

41. Gore says Bush "Betrayed Us"

I like Al Gore and I loved his speech today. In was in the context of the Iraq war, but I can't help but notice the parallel to the military service issue.

Bush, a frat boy and male cheerleader, drunk and high on drugs who skipped out early to avoid drug testing in May 1972.

[PaDUer]

53. Scarborough Country rerun on now

Joe's off for tonite, however, there's another character taking his place and he's slamming Al Gore's comments...said he took a page out of Dean's playbook with his screaming! Catch the rerun of this BS coming on now after the commercial.

[Coventina]

48. huh-huh-huh ---- he said "duty"

(my Beavis & Butthead imitation)

[Zorro]

49. Wasn't it "I did my doobie"?

And he'd Bogart it, too...

[PaDUer]

54. He probably did more

than a doobie!

[WhereIsMyFreedom]

51. He may have received an undeserved honorable discharge

from the National Guard. Here's to hoping that he doesn't receive the clearly undeserved honorable discharge from the Presidency. :toast: Let's impeach the bugger before it's too late!

[procopia]

52. Notice the newest talking point

Bush apologists have come up with: What IF he only served 2 years, that's more than Clinton and many others...

My rebuttal was that "draft dodging" isn't illegal, but AWOL or desertion is. How else to answer?