Dan Rather files lawsuit over Bush National Guard Story

Published on November 25, 2007 By COL Gene In Politics

Dan Rather filed a $70 Million dollar lawsuit against CBS for being the “fall guy” over the Bush Texas Air National Guard story. The controversy over the authenticity of the order given Bush by his Commanding Officer to take a Required Flight Physical was the only issue everyone wanted to focus on. The facts about Bush and his service in the Air Guard were not important. In reality this story has many more issues the most important of which is how Bush got an Honorable Discharge without which he could never have run for Governor of Texas much less President of the United States.

The issues and questions that are part of the Bush National Guard service include the following:

How did Bush obtain his Commission?

Why did Bush seek a National Guard Commission?

Did Bush attend the required drills?

Did Bush participate in required training exercise?

Did Bush maintain his Flight Qualification by:

Attending the required drills?

By taking the required Flight Physical?

Did Bush receive an Order from his commander to take the Flight Physical?

Was a Board of Inquiry convened to investigate the grounding of Bush?

Where is the report from the Board of Inquiry?

Why did George Bush refuse to take his Flight Physical?

How did Bush receive his early release?

How did Bush get an Honorable Discharge given his refusal to take a physical and attend drills in Texas as ordered?

Comments (Page 2)

terpfan1980

on Nov 25, 2007

MasonM said (in answer to the Inferior Officer):

Personally I think you're the one taking drugs.

Nah, he's just off his meds and out of the asylum to bug us all.

The sad part is someone else already COVERED this story here at JU, but of course it wasn't spun in the right direction, with the right allegations and slanderous comments, so the Clueless One had to bring it back up again and fling baseless accusations against the current Commander-in-Chief. I swear he really ought to lose his retirement for such behavior, but apparently he feels that no one is really watching. (They definitely aren't buying his books. I figure he's sold about 12 total, all to himself....)

MasonM

on Nov 25, 2007

I figure he's sold about 12 total, all to himself.

Gideon MacLeish

on Nov 26, 2007

(They definitely aren't buying his books. I figure he's sold about 12 total, all to himself....)

Yeah, I've said it before, I'll say it again...it's pretty tragic when the left, who is DESPERATE for some sort of messiah, won't even TOUCH Col. Gene!

Island Dog

on Nov 26, 2007

It is an example of how privilege is used to get special treatment that is NOT deserved.

Once again it's your opinion, because you have no proof otherwise as you have been debunked on this topic about 100 times now. Move on with your life.

ParaTed2k

on Nov 26, 2007

Yet another example of original thought missing the Gene boat.

danielost

on Nov 26, 2007

gene for president

COL Gene

on Nov 26, 2007

This is a good Summary of what happened:

Since you've already covered the Bush family's relationship to the Nazis (thank you), I thought maybe you'd also cover another timely topic. I've heard many times and in many places (but none mainstream that I can think of) that George W. Bush was AWOL for at least a year from the National Guard during Vietnam (after "jumping the line" to get a slot in the guard in the first place). For some reason (I'm not sure why), I have trust in the Straight Dope. Can you tell me/us if the person sending others to war in Iraq was really derelict in his military duties? How serious an offense would that behavior have been considered, generally, during the Vietnam war? Lastly, if George was actually AWOL, and that would have been the equivalent of a felony for most people, why haven't we been hearing about this issue? --Kerry J. Johnson, Bellingham, Washington
Cecil replies:
Yeah, the mainstream media have really kept a lid on this one. We wouldn't know anything about Bush going AWOL if it hadn't been for that obscure underground newspaper the Boston Globe, which broke the story nationally in May 2000. But you're right that coverage has been pretty thin. A few months after the 2000 election, former Bill Clinton adviser Paul Begala said he'd done a Nexis search and found 13,641 stories about Clinton's alleged draft dodging versus 49 about George W. Bush's military record. Why the disparity? We'll get to that. First the basics: Yes, it's true, Bush didn't report to his guard unit for an extended period--17 months, by one account. It wasn't considered that serious an offense at the time, and if circumstances were different now I'd be inclined to write it off as youthful irresponsibility. However, given the none-too-subtle suggestion by the Bush administration that opponents of our Iraqi excursion lack martial valor, I have to say: You guys should talk.
Here's the story as generally agreed upon: In January 1968, with the Vietnam war in full swing, Bush was due to graduate from Yale. Knowing he'd soon be eligible for the draft, he took an air force officers' test hoping to secure a billet with the Texas Air National Guard, which would allow him to do his military service at home. Bush didn't do particularly well on the test--on the pilot aptitude section, he scored in the 25th percentile, the lowest possible passing grade. But Bush's father, George H.W., was then a U.S. congressman from Houston, and strings were pulled. The younger Bush vaulted to the head of a long waiting list--a year and a half long, by some estimates--and in May of '68 he was inducted into the guard.
By all accounts Bush was an excellent pilot, but apparently his enthusiasm cooled. In 1972, four years into his six-year guard commitment, he was asked to work for the campaign of Bush family friend Winton Blount, who was running for the U.S. Senate in Alabama. In May Bush requested a transfer to an Alabama Air National Guard unit with no planes and minimal duties. Bush's immediate superiors approved the transfer, but higher-ups said no. The matter was delayed for months. In August Bush missed his annual flight physical and was grounded. (Some have speculated that he was worried about failing a drug test--the Pentagon had instituted random screening in April.) In September he was ordered to report to a different unit of the Alabama guard, the 187th Tactical Reconnaissance Group in Montgomery. Bush says he did so, but his nominal superiors say they never saw the guy, there's no documentation he ever showed up, and not one of the six or seven hundred soldiers then in the unit has stepped forward to corroborate Bush's story.
After the November election Bush returned to Texas, but apparently didn't notify his old Texas guard unit for quite a while, if ever. The Boston Globe initially reported that he started putting in some serious duty time in May, June, and July of 1973 to make up for what he'd missed. But according to a piece in the New Republic, there's no evidence Bush did even that. Whatever the case, even though his superiors knew he'd blown off his duties, they never disciplined him. (No one's ever been shot at dawn for missing a weekend guard drill, but policy at the time was to put shirkers on active duty.) Indeed, when Bush decided to go to business school at Harvard in the fall of 1973, he requested and got an honorable discharge--eight months before his service was scheduled to end.
Bush's enemies say all this proves he was a cowardly deserter. Nonsense. He was a pampered rich kid who took advantage. Why wasn't he called on it in a serious way during the 2000 election? Probably because Democrats figured they'd get Clinton's draft-dodging thing thrown back at them. Not that it matters. If history judges Bush harshly--and it probably will--it won't be for screwing up as a young smart aleck, but for getting us into this damn fool war.
--CECIL ADAMS

Island Dog

on Nov 26, 2007

This is a good Summary of what happened:

LOL

greywar

on Nov 26, 2007

This is a good Summary

Gene : At least do a tiny bit of formatting.

Do you really think that folks will be persuaded of anything by dumping long blocks of contiguous text into a comment or an article?

Or is it more likely that it comes off as kooky and wierd thus losing possible support?

COL Gene

on Nov 26, 2007

Here are the facts about the service of Bush that were PROVEN by his own records that have been released by DoD.

During time of War this how LT. George W. Bush failed to obey Air Force Regulations, directives and the direct orders of his Commanding Officer:

During part of 1972 Bush failed to report for drills with his unit in Texas. Bush had requested a transfer to a unit in Alabama where he was working on a campaign. That request was denied and Bush was ORDERED to continuing attending drills with his unit in Texas.

Bush failed to report for a mandatory training exercise in 1972 for the simulated defense of the U.S.

Bush failed to have enough flight hours to because he did not report as ordered for drills with his Texas Air Guard Unit.

In 1972 Bush did not take a REQUIRED annual physical examination.

Bush failed to obey the written order from his commanding officer to take his physical.

Bush was grounded in late1972 for failure to take his required physical

EVERY one of the above should have resulted in disciplinary action against GWB and would have PREVENTED him from receiving an Honorable Discharge.

ALL BS in the world can not alter these facts. ANY officer in the military worth anything can no0t condone the actions of Bush and to think that such a person is now Commander-in-Chief is unbelievable.

Gideon MacLeish

on Nov 26, 2007

ALL BS in the world can not alter these facts. ANY officer in the military worth anything can no0t condone the actions of Bush and to think that such a person is now Commander-in-Chief is unbelievable.

Especially in light of the stellar and noble military service of his predecessor (rolls eyes!)

And just what military experience does your gal Hillary bring to the table?

Island Dog

on Nov 26, 2007

Once again gene.....nobody cares. Bush missed a physical, how long ago was it again.

Bush is not being elected again, why don't you concentrate on the next election since it's so obviously you want democrats to be elected. You are talking about an issue over 30 years old that will change nothing.

Do you undersand how obsessed you are with Bush?

ParaTed2k

on Nov 26, 2007

Once again Gene, you show yourself to be a lying little sack of crap.

Missing drills is an Article 15 offense, handled at the local commander's discretion.

You know this, but you are willing to lie about it just to make Bush look bad. Well, your lies do nothing but expose you for the insignificant little worm you are.

COL Gene

on Nov 26, 2007

Reply By: Gideon MacLeishPosted: Monday, November 26, 2007ALL BS in the world can not alter these facts. ANY officer in the military worth anything can no0t condone the actions of Bush and to think that such a person is now Commander-in-Chief is unbelievable.Especially in light of the stellar and noble military service of his predecessor (rolls eyes!)

Clinton did not take an oath to OBEY the Regulations and orders like GWB did when he was commissioned. No matter what Clinton did or did not do does not justify what Bush did? The central point is that GWB should have been made to account for failing to obey and that would mean we would not be having this exchange because he would NEVER have been President!

COL Gene

on Nov 26, 2007

Reply | | DeleteReply By: ParaTed2kPosted: Monday, November 26, 2007Once again Gene, you show yourself to be a lying little sack of crap.Missing drills is an Article 15 offense, handled at the local commander's discretion.You know this, but you are willing to lie about it just to make Bush look bad. Well, your lies do nothing but expose you for the insignificant little worm you are.

YOU are a LARGE sack of CRAP. Every word of what I posted is true and was proven by the official records of Lt. Bush and the direct statement of the secretary that typed the Order Bush disobeyed.

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