Second Negative

The paper trail

I don’t mind telling you that I’m not at all surprised that reports this week suggest that George W. Bush failed to perform up to the standards of the Texas National Guard. He hasn’t exactly performed up to any measurable standard as president either. Dan Bartlett (White House Communications Director) would have you believe that Bush was suspended from the Guard because he wasn’t concerned with taking a physical since he didn’t plan to continue flying.

That creative application of the truth (read: load of crap) might pass muster, except that documents surfaced this week from one of his commanding officers that not only said otherwise, but also made it clear that pressure was applied from outside sources to have his poor performance glossed over. Of course, I’m sure that officer is just another Kerry supporter looking to screw Bush in an election year. Oh wait, Colonel Jerry Killian, who wrote the report in 1972, has been dead since 1984. Well, there goes that theory. The case is only made further by Ben Barnes (Texas Lieutenant Governor, 1969-1973), who has publicly admitted that Bush was one of the many sons of wealthy, prominent men that he arranged to have admitted into the Texas National Guard during Vietnam.

Now, just like you, I’m amazed that we’re still talking about Vietnam considering all of the more topical issues at hand, but Bush and his cronies insist on making it an issue. What else could they have done to counter Kerry’s military record? Nothing. So instead, they play this passive aggressive game of supporting “independent” groups, and then taking several weeks to call for an end to the attacks. Do you see how that works? The damage of the ads has been done. As if the Swift Boat Veterans Who Are Full of Shit (SBVWAFS) wasn’t bad enough, Dick “Deferment” Cheney hit the crowds this week with the news that a Kerry victory would mean an attack by terrorists. No, I’m not kidding.

There are drastic differences between the mudslinging being done by both sides. The attacks launched against Kerry have come mostly from conservative leaning veterans upset about his post war politics. The attacks against Bush have come from official transcripts and other documentation. And what does Bush counter with? Incomplete payroll records with large portions blacked out. The evidence shows that Bush never reported for duty in Alabama. Incidentally, the evidence also shows that the Alabama National Guard didn’t even fly F-102’s at the time, which is the only plane Bush was trained to operate. The evidence shows that Bush failed to follow a direct order and submit to a required physical. The evidence shows that Bush didn’t report for duty in Boston while attending Harvard Business School, as he was ordered to do.

The evidence shows a six month gap in his service record that can’t be accounted for by the White House, except to say that Bush must have done his duty since he was honorably discharged. It’s actually a recurring theme. New evidence is released and Bartlett rattles off the same line about Bush being honorably discharged. Well that’s great Dan, except for all of the evidence suggesting that Bush had a few connections in higher places. And what about the report written by Colonel Killian? Well Dan Bartlett says he can’t figure why Bush doesn’t have records that back up that version of events. Oh c’mon Dan, sure you can.