Posted on 09/09/2004 6:23:51 AM PDT by ConservativeMajority
WASHINGTON (Talon News) -- The White House reacted strongly to a renewed attack on President George W. Bush's service record with the Texas Air Guard during Vietnam. Documents obtained from the Defense Department by the Associated Press touched off the latest round of speculation about alleged gaps in the timetable of Bush's service.
Democrats have been focusing on Bush's service record for nearly a year, with both party officials and their "independent" 527 surrogates like MoveOn.org suggesting that the president was AWOL at some period prior to his discharge in 1973.
On several occasions, Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe has accused Bush of having been AWOL from the Air Guard thirty years ago.
During a conference call with reporters on Wednesday, he said, "We know that John Kerry was in Vietnam. My question, Mr. President, is where were you, Sir?"
An article printed in Wednesday's Boston Globe claims that Bush "fell short" of completing his service obligations. Kerry's hometown paper published the results of its investigation worked on by what it calls its "Spotlight Team" that includes reporters Stephen Kurkjian, Francie Latour, Sacha Pfeiffer, and Michael Rezendes, and Editor Walter V. Robinson. The final article was written by Robinson, who was found guilty of libel by a Massachusetts court in 1987 for an article he wrote about John R. Lakian, a candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 1982.
White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan disputed the conclusions reached in the Boston Globe article.
He said, "If the president had not fulfilled his commitment he would not have been honorably discharged. He was honorably discharged in October of '73. The president is proud of his service in the National Guard."
McClellan continued, "The Boston Globe has bought into the line of attack by the Kerry campaign."
He pointed out, "The paper turned to a Kerry supporter for its analysis, a guy who works for a Democratic front group that backs the Kerry campaign."
The newspaper extensively quoted Lawrence J. Korb who it identified as a former assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs in the Reagan administration. It makes a passing reference to Korb's affiliation with "a liberal Washington think tank." That organization is the Center for American Progress, a group that is said to have crossover relationships with the Kerry campaign and the Democratic Party. Besides Korb, the Center's "experts" include former Clinton chief of staff John Podesta and Kerry economic advisor Gene Sperling.
The White House spokesman reiterated that all documents available concerning the president's service record have been released. He recalled that in February 2004, Bush directed that all the personnel, payroll, and medical records be made public.
Dan Bartlett, the White House communications director, told John Roberts of CBS News that the reason more documents have been located is that these came from files other than those of the president. He complained that Ben Barnes, a long-time activist and supporter of John Kerry, was orchestrating the new scrutiny.
Bartlett suggested the timing of the latest allegations was suspicious, saying, "What's questionable is at the same time that these documents are raised is the very same time that Democrats are leading a new ad campaign against President Bush and his service in the Guard, the same time that a partisan Democrat who is aligned with John Kerry makes his public attacks against President Bush and his Guard service. It's not a coincidence."
The new attacks on Bush's service record come at a time when ads run by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth have taken their toll on Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. The Massachusetts senator has slipped in the polls following the questions raised by veterans who served with Kerry in Vietnam about whether he deserved some of his combat medals.
The SBVT has changed its focus in its latest ads to testimony Kerry provided to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1971 that accused American soldiers of committing war crimes. Former POWs held by the communist North Vietnamese describe the demoralizing effect his testimony had on them while they were still in captivity.
The mishandling of the response to the SBVT charges has caused a shakeup in the Kerry campaign, with former Clinton advisors coming on board in the last week to mount a counterattack. Republicans say that Barnes' statements are evidence of that effort.
But questions continue to dog Kerry who has refused to release all of his service records. His critics claim that about 100 pages of relevant information are being kept from public scrutiny because the senator refuses to execute Form 180 that would authorize the Defense Department to release them.
The Associated Press obtained most recent documents after filing a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, but has expressed no interest in taking similar action to gain access to Kerry's records.
Copyright © 2004 Talon News -- All rights reserved.
Until that time...kerry and all his goons, enablers and kool-aid drinking followers can just KMA!
SIGN THE FORM 180, MR. KERRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is a link to the form SF-180 that Kerry needs to sign.
http://www.archives.gov/research_room/obtain_copies/standard_form_180.pdf
So lets see....
Treasonous Vietnam vet denouncing his brothers while they are dying in Vietnam with the name of John Kerry, with the platform of "30 yrs passed 'War Hero', reporting for duty"
Vs.
National Guard pilot who trained and flew in one of the most dangerous planes during the period. Some (democrats) question his attendance, running on his 4 yrs of previous Presidential experience.
Yep...I can see how Bush is far more unfit than Kerry *rolling eyes*
If the press keeps hounding this, it is likely to break our momentum and put us on defense.
Scott McClellan is a joke. He's sitting there playing defense when he should be strongly denouncing this as the BS it is. Should be saying that the President isn't running on his Guard record like Kerry is running on his Vietnam service. Also should ask the liberal media why aren't they asking Kerry to open his military records. Bring back Ari Fleischer and retire this clown.
Unfortunately, the press is all over this- all channels today and more coming tonight. This is the time for all Republicans to demand Kerry's full release of records and tax returns.
Anytime the scumbags want to compare missing a National Guard physical exam with running away under fire and getting scratched three times in order to bail out so you can come home from Vietnam and trash the "buddies" you left behind, that's fine with me.
Everyone should be looking at a record based on 4 years of the Presidency versus a record of 4 months in Vietnam. Which one is more relevant for the election?
Do you think it is possible that Mr. Kerry is attempting a "rope-a-dope" strategy? I doubt it but it is possible. If there is nothing damaging in his files he could delay the release and then drop it all at once to prove his "fitness". Since his campaign is highly unorganized I don't believe this is the case. But on the other hand I would hate to see us walk into a trap.
Before you fall for Dems’ spin, here are the facts
http://www.thehill.com/york/090904.aspx
If I am not mistaken, we are within that "60 Day period" that the idiot politicians voted for, that being the case, I would think If Kerry was going to drop a Bombshell it would have happened by now. Notice how all of a sudden the News outlets are running a lot blatant "Bush is Bad, Kerry is good" garbage?
I don't think so. I think that President Bush will not reply unless asked directly and he'll reply with the truth and do it confidently and there will be no story there. This may just be the chance for him to point out that he is the one who requested the files be put out there because he really has nothing to hide.
So, does this story still have "legs" or will it die back down by tomorrow? That is the big question.
The democrats have brought up Bush's service record in every campaign he's ever run. It had no legs then, it has no legs now.
Furthermore, isn't it funny how liberals blame Kerry and/or his campaign management for "allowing" the Swift Boat story to do damage?
The Swift Boat Vets' story does have legs (meaning there's some truth to it), and those legs are kicking Kerry's sorry ass.
i don't think the bush admin wants to be the people asking kerry to sign the form 180....
so some 527 group needs to do a commercial simply pointing out that bush has signed the standard form 180 and kerry has not....so who is hiding their military records?
i was actually expecting 'someone' to download the form 180 and sign it and send it in for kerry.
"The Associated Press obtained most recent documents after filing a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, but has expressed no interest in taking similar action to gain access to Kerry's records."
We can ALL download Form 180 and send it in for Kerry. Thousands and Thousands of them! Let's see? WHERE should we send them?
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