the kind of guy you want to have a beer with?

[sisyphusshrugged]

Seems like Our Fearless Leader was throwing daddy's weight around while he was in the Guard

When President Bush was a lieutenant in the Texas Air National Guard, an official complained that Bush was "talking to someone upstairs" in his bid for transfer to duty in Alabama to work on the campaign of a family friend, documents released late Wednesday by the White House show.

The unsigned memo on May 19, 1972, outlined a "phone call from Bush," who was discussing how to "get out of coming to drill now through November." Bush, who had trained to fly fighter jets for the Guard in Texas and served stateside during the Vietnam War, insisted on seeking a transfer to Alabama any way possible, the memo writer said, because he is "working on another campaign for his dad."

The late-night release of the memos added another layer of complexity and intrigue to the renewed examination of Bush's time in the National Guard in the Vietnam era, the war from more than 30 years ago that has taken an unexpectedly prominent role in this presidential campaign. Bush's challenger, Democrat John Kerry, has been forced to defend his combat service in Vietnam, where he received several awards for heroism.

The release of the documents comes seven months after the White House disclosed what it said was an exhaustive list of the president's National Guard records. The documents were released two hours after CBS News raised new questions during a prime-time broadcast about whether Bush was awarded a coveted slot out of favoritism.

In the May 1972 memo, the author also said that Bush was told he would need written approval for a transfer.

A second memo, signed by Lt. Col. Jerry Killian on Aug. 1, 1972, showed that Bush was ordered suspended from flight status for failure to perform to Air Force and Guard standards and failure to meet an annual physical exam as required. Bush's transfer to an Air Reserve Squadron was recommended, but not allowed, this memo reported. Bush "has made no attempt to meet his training certification or flight physical," the colonel wrote. Bush wanted to transfer to a non-flying unit. Killian recommended that the unit fill Bush's slot with "a more seasoned pilot" from a list of Vietnam pilots who rotated out.

Bush was told he would need a flight physical, the May document shows. Bush replied that he would get that in Alabama.

The next year, in August 1973, an unnamed official wrote, "I'm having trouble running interference and doing my job," noting that Bush was not present for his pilot rating and as such he would not rate Bush.

This Aug. 18, 1973, memo was titled "CYA"--which could have been meant as an abbreviation for a slang term meaning cover your behind.

ed: Markos has the latest information on the incredible appearing nonexistent paperwork. The current round shows that OFL was suspended for "not meeting standards"

Comments

related.

[canonfire.livejournal.com]

Found on Salon.com's War Room:

The New York Times' Web site has posted the 32-page analysis of George W. Bush's Guard records by Gerald Lechliter, a retired Army colonel and self-described registered Independent, who in columnist Nicholas Kristof's assessment has "made the most meticulous examination" of Bush's records.

Download a .pdf of Lechliter's analysis.

Re: related.

[jmhm.livejournal.com]

you're so good :)

Now when are you going to tell us heathens about the convention?

Re: related.

[canonfire.livejournal.com]

After taking a few days to catch my breath (and have two complete strangers ask me about my "Vote Kerry" t-shirt), I have finally started to compile my notes. I should have something quite detailed in a week. I have a LOT of stuff.

I wish we could have had that meeting in the city. I was swamped morning noon and night.

They're Fakes

[jasontromm.livejournal.com]

You have heard today's news, haven't you? The documents are fakes: http://trommetter.com/log/archives/2004/09/10/fake-documents/

Re: They're Fakes

[jmhm.livejournal.com]

Um, well, no, from what I've seen so far, all the evidence that's been given to show that they're fakes is very specious, and the commanding officer of the man who ostensibly wrote the memos says that they reflect what he was saying at the time, so as far as we know, we don't know at all.