Posted on 09/09/2004 9:22:25 PM PDT by listenhillary
McAuliffe Statement on Breaking News About Bush's Military Record
Washington, D.C. - Responding to breaking news regarding George W. Bush's military record, Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe issued this statement:
"George W. Bush's cover story on his National Guard service is rapidly unraveling.
"Tonight's CBS New report made clear that President Bush has misrepresented the nature of his National Guard service for decades to the American people. And now that questions are being raised, only Bush can settle this once and for all by answering the unanswered questions about his Guard service.
"CBS News exclusively obtained documents that flatly contradict two of Bush's often repeated claims about his time in the National Guard - that he received no special treatment and that he fulfilled his duty.
"According to these new military documents, political pressure was applied and strings were pulled for President Bush at every step of the process: to get in the Guard, to stay in the Guard, and to exit the Guard.
"These are serious charges. They have not been leveled by his opponent. Or by a political party. Or by an outside group. They are based on documents from the personal files of Col. Jerry Killian, Bush's squadron commander.
"George W. Bush needs to answer why he regularly misled the American people about his time in the Guard and who applied political pressure on his behalf to have his performance reviews 'sugarcoated'?"
self bump
Don't save it.....BRONZE IT!!!
fire him too
More
http://www.democrats.org/news/200409090004.html
Bush Lied
And Needs to Answer the Questions Himself
BUSH LIED: SAID HE GOT NO SPECIAL TREATMENT IN THE NATIONAL GUARD
Moderator: You are confident no influence was exercised on your behalf [in getting a spot in the Guard]?
George W. Bush: I am, yeah. [1994 Texas Governor's Debate]
…BUT BEN BARNES PULLED STRINGS TO GET HIM IN
Dan Rather: …Barnes says he had a meeting with the late oilman Sid Adger, a friend to both Barnes and then-congressman George Bush….
Ben Barnes: …But he said, basically, would I help young George Bush get in the Air National Guard?
Rather: Barnes says he contacted his longtime friend, General James Rose, the head of Texas' Air National Guard….
Rather: And you recommended George W. Bush?
Barnes: Yes, I did.
Rather: You said that you did this for others, what we normally call "preferential treatment."
Barnes: Oh, I would describe it as preferential treatment. [CBS "60 Minutes," 9/9/04]
BUSH LIED: SAID HE FULFILLED HIS DUTY
Bush, speaking from the Oval Office in 2004: "I'm just telling you, I did my duty." [Meet the Press, 2/8/04]
…BUT HE DISOBEYED A DIRECT ORDER TO TAKE A PHYSICAL AND WAS GROUNDED
"President Bush failed to carry out a direct order from his superior in the Texas Air National Guard in May 1972 to undertake a medical examination that was necessary for him to remain a qualified pilot, according to documents made public yesterday." [Washington Post, 9/9/04]
The colonel [Killian] goes on, the "officer," meaning then-Lieutenant Bush, "has made no attempt to meet his training certification or flight physical." [CBS "60 Minutes," 9/9/04]
…BUT HE TRIED TO GO OVER HIS COMMANDER'S HEAD TO GET A POSITIVE EVALUATION
In August 1972, Bush's superior officer Lt. Col. Jerry Killian notes in a memo that Bush had gone over his head and was "talking to someone upstairs" to avoid service in Alabama. [CBS "60 Minutes," 9/9/04]
>…BUT HE MISSED MONTHS OF DUTY
"Yet Bush, a fighter-interceptor pilot, performed no service at all for one six-month period in 1972 and for another period of almost three months in 1973, the records show." [Boston Globe, 9/8/04]
BUSH LIED…AND THE ONLY WAY GEORGE BUSH PUTS THIS BEHIND HIM IS TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FOR HIMSELF.
Good call. When all's done and said someone's gonna want to catalogue all this stuff.
Even better do a screen capture.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1211667/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1211661/posts
Hope Mr. McAwful enjoys crow for breakfast.
Maybe apromotion is in order. After all, he's doing a fine job of helping to sink skerry.
More
http://www.democrats.org/news/200409080004.html
Memo from McAuliffe Regarding RNC Smear Machine Attacking Ben Barnes
To: Interested Parties
From: Terry McAuliffe
Re: The RNC Smear Machine Takes Aim at Ben Barnes
Every time someone stands up to tell the truth about George Bush and the Republicans, the Republican smear machine roars into action. Their attacks on Ben Barnes are no different. Their smears, however, do not erase the truth we will hear tonight.
Tonight, Ben Barnes, former Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives and Texas Lieutenant Governor, will appear on '60 Minutes II' to discuss his role in getting George W. Bush into the National Guard.
Ben Barnes's Statements are Well Documented
Mr. Barnes has discussed his role in getting George W. Bush into the National Guard publicly — and even under oath — on at least two other occasions in the past 6 years.
In 1998, then-Governor Bush's campaign manager and current Commerce Secretary Don Evans sought out Barnes to hear his story about his role in getting Bush into the National Guard. Bush spokesman Dan Barlett said Evans sought Barnes out primarily to knock down a rumor that the senior Bush had directly solicited Barnes's help. According to Bartlett, Evans reported back to Governor Bush Barnes's assurance that no one in the Bush family directly asked him for help. [Washington Post, 9/28/99]
Documenting the discussion between Barnes and Evans, George W. Bush wrote to Barnes on Sept. 9, 1998: "Dear Ben: Dan Evans reported your conversation. Thank you for your candor and for killing the rumor about you and dad ever discussing my status. Like you, he never remembered any conversation. I appreciate your help." [Houston Chronicle, 9/28/99; Washington Post, 9/28/99]
In 1999, Barnes testified under oath that he was contacted by Sid Adger, a wealthy Houston businessman and a good friend of the senior Bush, who asked him to "recommend George W. Bush for a pilot position with the Air National Guard" and Barnes did so. Barnes said Adger told him he was calling on behalf of the elder George Bush, then a Texas congressman. [Washington Post, 9/28/99; Newsweek, 7/17/00]
Republicans Fire Up the Smear Machine
Unable to challenge Barnes's story on the merits, the President and the Republicans have fired up the smear machine.
Scott McClellan: "It is not surprising coming from a longtime partisan Democrat."
Ed Gillespie: "In a preemptive memo to GOP leaders Tuesday night, Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie sought to portray Barnes as an unreliable witness and charged that Democrats were 'implementing a strategy of vicious personal attacks against the president and vice president.'" [Brownstein, LAT, 9/7/04 AP, 8/29/04]
The Republican Attacks on Ben Barnes are Baseless
Ben Barnes is not a "longtime partisan Democrat". In fact, he has close ties to the Republicans — including Scott McClellan's family.
Barnes has contributed $51,500 to Texas Republican candidates since 2000. [Texas Ethics Commission, http://www.ethics.state.tx.us/]
Scott McClellan's mother, Carole Keeton Strayhorn, and state comptroller of Texas, counts Ben Barnes as a friend, [Austin American-Statesman, 4/25/04]. Barnes contributed $35,000 to Carole Keeton Strayhorn's campaign in 2003. [Texas Ethics Commission, http://www.ethics.state.tx.us/] [New York Times, 9/15/03]
The former Texas Lieutenant Governor contributed $500 to Jeb Bush during his failed 1994 campaign for Florida's governorship. [Dallas Morning News, 10/25/94]
Barnes was on a fundraising events committee to benefit Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson. According to Barnes, "we've been friends a long time." [Austin American-Statesman, 1/13/04]
In 1995, Barnes contributed $250 to the Tom Delay Congressional Committee. [www.tray.com]
The Latest Attack on Ben Barnes is Pattern and Practice for the Bush Republicans
Time and time again, when faced with an assertion that they cannot challenge on the merits, the Republicans smear, relying on four go-to options: destroy their character; impugn their motives; fire them; and/or threaten them with legal action.
What planet has McAuliffe been living on? He's claiming victory as their campaign flushes down the tubes.
Hey Terry, put some ice on it!
Sore butts all around the DNC!
"These are serious charges. They have not been leveled by his opponent. Or by a political party. Or by an outside group. They are based on documents from the personal files of Col. Jerry Killian, Bush's squadron commander.
"George W. Bush needs to answer why he regularly misled the American people about his time in the Guard and who applied political pressure on his behalf to have his performance reviews 'sugarcoated'?"
This should be fun. Hey DNC! Get ready to chew some cleats!
Nah! I'd like to see him eat all the excrement he's been tossing around.
It's too perfect to have this press release right after the story. My guess is that the DNC faked the documents.
Great catch!
All crooked roads lead to the DNC.
Notice that both parts of this story depend on dead men, Killian and Adger for corroboration.
BUMP
The positive side of negative, sleazy election politics is how the truth gets revealed if the facts get exposed.
Could it be the election of 2004 not only re-elects George W. Bush, but also completely discredits:
John Kerry and "Idiot" wife
John Edwards
Terry McAuliffe (and sidekicks Carville and Begala)
CBS
The NY Times
Al Gore
Howard Dean
Ted Kennedy
Al Sharpton
ETC...
GO FREEPERS GO!
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