McAuliffe gives the AWOL story some juice...

[slor]

AWOL slamming!!! Judy Woodruff was smacked down too. He mentioned that National Guardsman in Iraq would probably like to request a year off right now too, but THEY cannot, because they are ordinary citizens not sons of senators!! IT WAS GREAT!!!!

[colonel odis]

1. where? n/t

[slor]

2. Sorry, INSIDE POLITICS!

[UpInArms]

7. the transcript should be available here

at a later time today

http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/ip.html

[CatWoman]

32. TRANSCRIPT'S UP!!

ED GILLESPIE, RNC CHAIRMAN: Well, Terry McAuliffe, unfortunately, has become the John Wilkes Booth of presidential character assassination. I just said, Judy, Terry McAuliffe also said that I questioned Senator Kerry's patriotism and I distorted his record. Terry McAuliffe is flat, dead wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WOODRUFF: Terry McAuliffe joins us now from Chicago. He's chairman of the Democratic National Committee. The John Wilkes Booth of presidential character assassination?

TERRY MCAULIFFE, DNC CHAIRMAN: Well, Judy, it's sad to see poor Ed Gillespie embarrass himself on national television. The facts are you've seen it in the newspapers this week. George Bush was supposed to have shown up in the Alabama National Guard. He didn't show up. He then went back later and said he made up his time when he went back to Texas. But I'd like you to tell the National Guardsmen today who are in Iraq, who didn't have an option of making their time up later, that they're actually there now, defending our country and they had to be there.

George Bush has a lot of explaining to do. As I said before, when they go after our candidates, when they go after our potential nominee, we are going to fight back harder. You punch us, Judy, we're punching back harder. And we're going to do it with facts. And I know they're embarrassed about it, but the facts are what they are.

WOODRUFF: I don't want to dwell on this but I do want to ask you one other question about it. They point out the president received an honorable discharge. Their point is that wouldn't have happened if he were missing from appointments at his -- at the National Guard.

MCAULIFFE: Judy, the facts are that George Bush skipped over 100 people to get in the Texas Guard because his father was a member of Congress. For him to go out and get an honorable discharge later, had that been an ordinary citizen whose father was not a United States congressman, I doubt that the circumstances would have been the same.

He didn't show up. Let him answer that. The commander this week reiterated that the entire time he was supposed to show up in the Alabama Guard, he wasn't there. He said he made it up later. But you don't have that option. When you're supposed to serve our country, you're supposed to be there.

WOODRUFF: All right. We're going to certainly want to hear from the Bush campaign.

MCAULIFFE: Let's hear from the president.

WOODRUFF: All right, Terry McAuliffe let's turn to the Democrats now. How do you size up the Democratic race?

MCAULIFFE: I've got to tell you, am I excited. You saw what happened last night. Seven contests. All seven contests, Judy, last night, had record turnouts. Look at South Carolina. Double their all-time record. Oklahoma, over 100,000 new voters. We have Arizona, double the turnout. New Mexico, double the turnout. Something's going on. So our message is working. Our candidates are getting their message out.

The Bush administration, serious trouble today, because they've failed America on jobs, health care and education. Something's going on. They don't like what they see with George Bush. They like what they're hearing from the Democrats. I mean, I'm very excited. I never thought we would have these huge turnout numbers but people are coming in record numbers to the polls.

WOODRUFF: All right, you said a few weeks ago that if a candidate had not won a contest by February 3, yesterday, they should reassess their candidacy.

MCAULIFFE: Right.

WOODRUFF: My question to you is have you been on the phone today with Howard Dean, Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton?

MCAULIFFE: Well, it's up to the voters to tell the candidates to assess their candidacy. If you're not winning elections you're going to have a tough time putting the money together. I did talk to Joe Lieberman today and I want to commend him on a great race. He represented a part of our party. He did it admirably, honorably and I am so proud of Joe Lieberman. But the other candidates, it's not up to the chairman of the party, it's up to the voters.

WOODRUFF: I'm asking you because of your own statement, though.

MCAULIFE: Right. The candidates, I assume every candidate today is making those key decisions, can they raise money? Can they go on television? Can they pay their staff? Can they put their campaign plan in the air? And if they can't, at the end of the day, Judy, everybody is going to do the right thing. We are going to be unified before you know it. They're all going to do the right thing and support the nominee.

WOODRUFF: How hard is it going to be to stop John Kerry at this point?

MCAULIFFE: Well, clearly he's done very well in these contests. He's appealing to all parts of our party. And you know, different voters across the country. But you know, a month ago, Howard Dean was going to win everything. You know, I tell you in politics a week is a lifetime. Anything could happen. John Edwards had a great night last night. Wesley Clark had a great night. I've got to tell you, it's great for the party.

And I've always said March 10, we'll have a nominee. We have 24 more contests until March 10. This is great for the Democratic party to have all these candidates out representing our party, talking about these issues. Anything could happen. A week is a lifetime.

MCAULIFFE: At the same time, are you having any second thoughts, Terry McAuliffe, about your concept of a so-called front loaded schedule, early calendar where you could end up with a nominee very early in the year open to $100 million worth of attacks, criticism, from the Republican party between then and the Democratic convention?

MCAULIFFE: Judy, the old calendar had three days of voting. Iowa, New Hampshire and Super Tuesday which was a national primary. So the candidates just went from airport to airport. Our new calendar which you saw in full force last night, Iowa, New Hampshire, seven states, South Carolina, Oklahoma, we went out west to Arizona and New Mexico, rural North Dakota. This is a great calendar because every different region of our country has a say.

Next week we go to Virginia and Tennessee. We've got Michigan, Washington state. This shows when you get through this process that you are true national candidate and in the old days if you lost out in New Hampshire you may have been out. Now a candidate can pick one or two states to get their message out. This is great for the party. Great for turnout, great for the general election. If I were George Bush I would be worried to death sitting in the White House today.

All right, Terry McAuliffe, loaded for bear (ph).

MCAULIFFE: All pumped up.

WOODRUFF: We appreciate it. Again we're going to try to get someone from the bush campaign, or perhaps from the White House, to address some of these comments. MCAULIFFE: Get the president out.

WOODRUFF: We appreciate it. Good to see you, terry McAuliffe. Thank you.

From Motown to the Mackinac Straits, it is Michigan's turn in the national political spot light. Coming up on INSIDE POLITICS, the scramble to win Saturday's caucuses in the Great Lakes state.

Also, Congressman Dennis Kucinich looks at the road ahead from way back in the pack.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WOODRUFF: Louisiana Republican Billy Tauzin is giving up the chairmanship of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has over site of the pharmaceutical industry.

In a letter to Hose Speak Dennis Hastert, Tauzin attributes the move as well as his decision not to seek re-election to a 14th term to health problems. Congressional sources say Tauzin's decision is part of a strategy to deflect criticism because he is considering a lobbying position for the drug industry. This comes only weeks after Tauzin helped to negotiate new prescription drug benefit for Medicare.

INSIDE POLITICS will be right back.

[wysimdnwyg]

3. You'd better change your subject

before the thread gets locked.

[leftynyc]

4. While I appreciate this issue finally coming to the

forefront, McAuliffe made a big mistake by saying the Guard was not the military while hundreds (maybe thousands) are stationed in Iraq right now. I don't care if he calls * AWOL or a deserter, but dissing the guard right now is a very bad idea and he should apologize as soon as possible.

I agree it was a great comback to Woodruff. What did she say?

[slor]

6. She did not respond directy...

to the question, of course.

[DODI]

9. He didn't dis the guard, he was saying that * is a "Fortunate Son"

his dad's connections got him "special" treatment.

[leftynyc]

17. He did dis the guard

I understand that is the case with this interview but the quote below was from a couple of days ago. He needs to apologize.

DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe Says President Bush’s National Guard Service Not Part Of Military. “George Bush never served in our military and our country.” (ABC’s “This Week,” 2/1/04)

[lovedems]

10. But the guard really isn't the military, they are not really trained for

combat. That is my understanding. I didn't get to watch but but the USMC, ASAF, USAF et al. were combat soldiers, not the national guard. They are doing a job they weren't properly trained to do. Somebody can correct me if I am wrong, that is just my understanding.

Edit: when I say military I mean combat soldiers. I think the national guard is a form of the military.

[leftynyc]

19. I totally understand what you're saying

My point is that while so many guardsmen/women are over in Iraq right now, it's not a good time to insult them. The pubbies will hammer the dems over the heads with this. He needs to apologize. I guess I should also point out I'm not a big McAuliff fan. Losing seats during an midterm election pissed me off royally.

[stopbush]

22. No apology needed. It would actually be counter productive.

The Guard are NOT the military. The military are the 4 combat-ready-and-trained branches of the service - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines. Do you consider the Coast Guard part of the military? No. Neither is the Guard. Their mission is not to fight wars.

It is unconscionable that bush is sending the NG into a war zone. Why should Terry or anyone else lend legitimacy to bush's actions by lumping the Guard in with the active military? Do that and you give up another issue that should be front and center in this campaign, ie: wrongly sending the NG into war zones, not to mention extending their stays.

On edit: if memory serves me correctly, I have read stories in the press outlining some of the problems Guardsmen are having in Iraq receiving adequate medical care. IIRC, they aren't getting the same level of treatment as those in the "military." My Google search is slow today, but I'll try to serach later for confirmation.

[Timefortruth]

24. But in 1970 the Gaurd was not in peril of being sent anywhere,

is that right? The role of the Guard as homeland security has changed in recent years.

Unrelated to whether the Guard is part of the armed forces or whatever, wasn't the plane * was trained to fly was one that was going out of service so that he really wasn't in any danger of having to do anything.

[trof]

28. So my "combat ready" status meant...?

Yes, they really are trained for combat.

Each year my squadron had to pass an "Operational Readiness Inspection" (ORI). The inspection was done by a team of regular Air Force officers. We simulated a deployment to foreign shores. In the event that we did not pass the inspection (we always did) we'd have to do additional training to correct problems and be re-inspected. Failure was not an option.

After successful completion of each inspection we were certified "combat ready". That meant exactly what it said. We were ready to go into combat, anytime, anywhere.

[Catherine Vincent]

11. That is true. Some republican congressman was

whining about that yesterday. BTW, did McAuliffe serve?

[StClone]

18. Hope he did

But that shouldn't be of any importance.

[pinto]

5. invited Busboy on to rebut AWOL claim, Judy couldn't cut him off.

(aside) I think B*sh was in rehab for 6 of those months in Houston, just my take....

[indigo11153]

8. OMG it was great!

GO TERRY GO! He was amazing! Terry had the RNC chair flipping his cookies. Hehe. So glad to see him out there fighting for our candidates and hitting back. Heck I think I'll send him some money.
We need, as a party, to hit back. The candidates must have a chance to get their positive message out. This is a very good thing. So happy to see our party fighting back.

[iam]

12. He went AWOL

because the Nat'l Guard started drug testing! The moron didn't just forget to show up, he was avoiding getting busted for drug use! can't get any better tan that.

[llmart]

13. I've said this on other threads...

but my husband was in the National Guard at the same time and he never missed one weekend meeting or one, two-week summer camp, even when my father was on his death bed. He was NOT allowed to have time off in the entire 6 years of his commitment. He was gone every June, having to use his two-weeks vacation from his regular job for his summer camp training, and was gone every Mothers Day, Fathers Day, our wedding anniversary, you name it, because there was only one excuse they would accept - your own death! Some here may think it's not an important issue, but the type of guys who vote for this idiot will be pretty turned off if they find out the truth (which we already have known for quite some time here at DU); that * shirked his duty to his country!

[SpiralHawk]

14. The old AWOL Tar Baby

Time for Smirky to step out in front on this one, and "defuse" the issue with a show of bravado. I am waiting.

"I did not have AWOL relations with that white powder, Ms. Cocaine."
- yr. kOmmAnder in-Cheef*

[wryter2000]

15. Go, TM! eom

eom

[bluedog]

16. found this on another board.

people are going nuts over awol:


Here's a form letter that should definitely be used if you're currently in the national guard:

Dear Commander:


I'm sorry but I will not be reporting for duty today (or the next 364 days after that) as I will be busy campaigning for the Democratic presidential nominee. Please refer to our current president's military record for this "campaigning leave" precedence.


Thank you, and see you next year (or when this war is over -- whichever comes first.)


Sincerely,
Private A. Wall

[Toots]

20. A Hoot

Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip.

[leftynyc]

21. That letter is priceless

n/t

[glarius]

23. All Dem spokespersons are saying the same thing....It's smart...they are

saying "whenever the Repubs trash the patriotism of our people, we will answer by pointing out Bush's war record...And then they all have been enumerating all the things he did to avoid service while Kerry and others were at war....It's a smart idea....IMO

[woofless]

25. I am getting tired of * supporters citing an Honorable

Discharge as some kind of proof that shrubbie completed his commitment to the FANG. Hell I have an Honorable. I got it after marching in to the office of my Commander, a full Bird Colonel, and declaring that I smoked pot every day after I got off duty. At the time I was a clerk in the message branch of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force handling Top Secret/Crypto messages right there in the Pentagon. This was 1972 too. I know where I was in '72 and that is the question I want asked of shrub. WHERE WERE YOU IN '72? Let's make it a chant. Let's make it a raucus chorus. Let's finally get the answer because it DOES matter.

Woof

[PaDUer]

26. Honorable?

There's NOTHING honorable about this dishonorable guy who's brought shame and disgrace to our nation!

[Skittles]

27. he IS a f***ing disgrace

I am disgusted. I served and if my military records were checked they'd know where I was every day of my enlistment. Dubya is an AWOL Deserter SOB.

[PaDUer]

30. I know exactly

what you mean...Same here..He shouldn't even be saluted to, and should be ousted out of the WH...I wait daily for someone to post that every citizen meet in DC and throws them all out on their ears, but HANDCUFFED and thrown into the police wagon! He's impersonating the president and a mockery of the military..

[kskiska]

29. Wouldn't it have been s simple matter for Poppy to arrange

an Honorable Discharge? He "arranged" to get his boy into the Champagne Unit. He could damned well arrange to get him out.

[trof]

31. Oh, whathehell...my standard response:

I send this out every time it comes up in the media or on the web. Maybe somewhere it will
get some traction. Feel free to use any or all of this, with or without
attribution.

At the time I joined the guard (1963), my unit, unlike Bush's,
was in dire need of pilots.
The 117th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing and the 106th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron were
recalled to active duty in France, in October 1961, during the Berlin Crisis.
The units were relieved from active duty in August, 1962.
Many of the pilots elected to remain on active duty and make a career
of the Air Force.


I heard about their pilot training program and just walked in off the
street. I took a 4 hour Air Force Officer Qualification Test (AFOQT,
basically the old Stanine general intelligence test) and another four hour
Flight Aptitude test. I passed both, although I don't remember what a
passing grade was. I do remember that 8 or 10 of us were taking the tests
and only 2 of us passed. I also took and passed a flight physical with the
base flight surgeon. You DO NOT take a flight physical with your
"personal" physician. ONLY an Air Force Flight Surgeon can administer this examination.

While my test papers and applications were
forwarded to National Guard Bureau in Washington for processing and
approval, the FBI ran a security check on me. A few weeks later I was
notified that all preparations were complete and that I could present myself
at the monthly drill week-end for swearing in with a temporary commission as
a 2nd Lt. No boot camp, no nuthin'. The temporary commission was to become
permanent upon my successful completion of pilot training.

A few months later, my unit secured a slot for me in a USAF pilot training
class. It was a 55 week program. When I was awarded my wings, I returned
to Birmingham, AL (106th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 117th Wing,
Alabama Air National Guard) and 90 days of active-duty-for-training
to check out in our unit's aircraft, the RF-84/F. I then completed my 6
year obligation and was honorably discharged with the rank of Captain.

A couple of more points:
1. It's highly unusual that Bush was mustered out as a 1st Lt. If you kept your nose relatively clean, you made 1st Lt. 3 years after your commission as a 2nd Lt. Two years later, you made Captain. As long as you just put your time in, it was automatic. That he didn't make Captain prior to his discharge is very telling. Reason : He wasn't there long enough.
2. An Honorable Discharge is NOT "evidence" that he served his time. This is one of the strongest
"talking points" used by his supporters.
It IS evidence that his commanding officers violated ANG rules and regulations. It's called "covering one's derriere". Had they NOT given him an honorable discharge it would have called attention to the fact that they gave him a pass and pointed up a serious dereliction of duty on their part.
Massey Lambard
Foley, AL

AWOL? Deserter? Here are the FACTS.

Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ)
http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ucmj.htm#802.%20ART.%202.%20PERSONS%20SUBJECT%20TO%20THIS%20CHAPTER

802. ART. 2. PERSONS SUBJECT TO THIS CHAPTER
(3) Members of a reserve component while on inactive-duty training, but in
the case of members of the Army National Guard of the United States or the
Air National Guard of the United States only when in Federal Service.

Bush was not in Federal Service, thus not subject to UCMJ, and therefore not
AWOL or a deserter under UCMJ.

However, from the Texas Code of Military Justice, which Bush "may have
been" (see below) subject to says:
Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 147, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987. § 432.130. Desertion
(a) A member of the state military forces is guilty of desertion if the
member:
(1) without authority goes or remains absent from his unit, organization, or
place of duty with intent to remain away permanently;
(2) quits his unit, organization, or place of duty with intent to avoid
hazardous duty or to shirk important service; or
(3) without being regularly separated from one of the state military forces,
enlists or accepts an appointment in the same or another of the state
military forces, or in one of the armed forces of the United States, without
fully disclosing the fact that he has not been regularly separated.
(b) A commissioned officer of the state military forces who, after tender of
his resignation and before notice of its acceptance, quits his post or
proper duties without leave and with intent to remain away permanently is
guilty of desertion.
(c) A person found guilty of desertion or attempt to desert shall be
punished as a court-martial directs.

Bush was certainly in violation of one or more of these sections, but notice
the law was passed in 1987, well after he was out of the guard. So far, I
can find no information as to what the law was when Bush was in the TANG.


I was a pilot in the ALAANG 1963-1972. I can find no documentation of Alabama
ma military regulations on the web, but here's what I know to be true from
personal experience:

When I joined the guard to be trained as a pilot I signed an agreement, a
"contract" if you will. Upon successful completion of USAF pilot training,
I was committed for six years of service in the Alabama Air National Guard
(ALAANG). Pilot training lasted a little over a year, so my basic
obligation was for seven years.

If I had done exactly the same thing Bush did, skipped out and not shown up
for required drills and Flight Training Periods (FTPs):

1. I would have been located/contacted (if possible) by a superior officer
on an "unofficial" level and asked about my absence. In reality, it would
have been unthinkable for me or any of my squadron-mates to just drop out of
sight without any prior communication with my squadron or wing as to a
reason for this.
2. If I had no satisfactory "unofficial" explanation I would be required to
meet with an evaluation board of senior officers to explain my actions. If
necessary, I would have been taken into custody by military police.
3. Now it gets "official" If the board found I had no acceptable excuse,
they could offer three options.
a. I could make up the missed periods, possibly by extending my
obligation.
b. If I was unwilling to do this, I could have been assigned to
"involuntary active duty" (essentially "drafted"), probably into the Army,
as a private, for a period not to exceed the balance of my obligation. At
the time, that was a ticket straight to Viet Nam.
c. If I refused, I could be sent to jail for the balance of my obligation,
probably to Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary.

You can see why it was in my best interest to show up each and every time
with a shine on my shoes and a smile on my face. That Bush was able to
shirk his obligation with absolutely no penalty angers me. It was wrong,
and he should have paid. But he didn't. He had the right connections and
he got off scot free.

We can bemoan the fact, and wail and gnash our teeth, but there's no way
(that I know of) that this wrong can be righted. I won't "get over it", but
I can move on. We can publicize this as much as possible, but he will never
be brought up on criminal charges over it. Periodically someone discovers
www.awolbush.com for the first time and thinks "Aha!". Well, I'm glad you
learned about it. Go tell others, for whatever that's worth. But don't
think you will ever see Bush in a court of law, military or civilian,
because of this. The only small, faint hope we have is the court of public
opinion.