Remember the Bush/Air National Guard Stories?
Joe Hagan of New York Magazine has written a megareport for Texas Monthly on what is coming out now about George W. Bush’s alleged flight training — well, about his record with the National Guard and all the investigations that ended in Dan Rather being fired by CBS. If you’re not a big defender of Bush, you’ll be glad to know the story turns out to be close to what we libruls believed at the time. If you’re a fan of Dan Rather (count me out), you’ll end up feeling somewhat aggrieved.
The real story, assembled here for the first time in a single narrative, featuring new witnesses and never-reported details, is far more complex than what Rather and Mapes rushed onto the air in 2004. At the time, so much rancorous political gamesmanship surrounded Bush’s military history that it was impossible to report clearly (and Rather’s flawed report effectively ended further investigations). But with Bush out of office, this is no longer a problem. I’ve been reporting this story since it first broke, and today there is more cooperation and willingness to speak on the record than ever before. The picture that emerges is remarkable. Beyond the haze of elaborately revised fictions from both the political left and the political right is a bizarre account that has remained, until now, the great untold story of modern Texas politics. For 36 years, it made its way through the swamps of state government as it led up to the collision between two powerful Texans on the national stage.
And by the time it was over, no one—not Dan Rather, not George W. Bush—would be left unbloodied. …Hagan, TX Monthly
Hint: Bush was no “badass” pilot. He backed away after screwing up. Interestingly, he couldn’t land a plane.
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If you’d rather listen to the story, you can hear an interview with Joe Hagan here (see Segment 3).Cross-posted from Prairie Weather
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Not a big surprise. It hardly took any genius (republicans exempted) to realize GWB’s reach had exceeded his grasp long before he became the GOP’s golden boy. Too bad for Dan Rather though.
Wow, this is a convoluted can of worms story with holes in the bottom and top of the can.
That being said, I do wish there would be a clear conclusion of whether it is true or not.
Not of whether his pop got his friends to get him into the National Guard, that most likely happened and is a shame when some influential guys have an edge, but whether he went AWOL or if there was a cover up of something that would be illegal under the military regulations.
I wouldn’t like that to remain buried and if there is any punishment due, then so be it.
I gotta agree with duck here. If my head was spinning after reading that story, I can’t imagine what putting it together and writing it was like.
When you come from power and influence you can blur reality and erase occurrences to the point that no one ever finds out what actually happened-
“but whether he went AWOL or if there was a cover up of something that would be illegal under the military regulations.”
At that point in time it is my understanding that with Vietnam being basicly over and vast number of solders on the book the military was quite willing to let people out of their obligations. Whaen this came up I was talking with I guy I worked with. He had come back from Vietnam and joined the reserves. After on weekend training he was so disgusted with the guy’s playing solder that he stopped going after the first weekend and went inactive reserve never going again. Just anecdotal so it means little and I’m sure knowing people helps, I can’t think of anywhere it doesn’t, but it never struck me as a big deal.
The point is if I went AWOL during my service (when there was no war on), and been caught, I would have had consequences. If indeed Bush did, he should have had some sort of punishment.
Because a person is rich or has influence should not influence his outcome, especially in a military context.
(I know it’s Texas and the war was winding down. Not good enough.)
Fascinating. Thanks, Prairie
The point is if I went AWOL during my service (when there was no war on), and been caught, I would have had consequences. If indeed Bush did, he should have had some sort of punishment.
My point being that at the time people there were no consequences in the main for completing reserve and NG time. That there should be is a different subject from there was. Basically all it seem you can say is a lot of effort went to minimizing any negatives in Bush’s service when otherwise they might of said nasty things but other than that it doesn’t sound like much going on and with anyone else no one would of ever cared what his service record said.
EE, totally disagree, the rich should not under any circumstances be able to have an advantage over an ordinary dog face like me. And, that goes for a Rep or a Dem.
“Because a person is rich or has influence should not influence his outcome, especially in a military context.”
Right you are dd. In a perfect world.
As we all know the uber-rich and connected do NOT subscribe to the same rules of accountability that govern the rest of us. If they did, I believe we would be seeing more progressive outcomes on a host of issues that primarily impact the middle and lower income classes.
“EE, totally disagree, the rich should not under any circumstances be able to have an advantage over an ordinary dog face like me. And, that goes for a Rep or a Dem.”
Where did I say that? We can’t have much of a conversation if half of what you hear is in your own head
EE, there should have been a period after disagree. The rest is my viewpoint.
Sorry if I came off a bit short. Sometimes it gets old defending positions I never held. I don’t think rich or connected people should be able to flaunt the rules but I have 2 thoughts in this case. If Bush wanted to join the Air National Guard his connections would of made it impossible for someone not to have tried to use it to curry favor. Even if no favors had been done someone would of implied that there was to try and benefit. And there doesn’t seem to be any reason to believe that a non connected person would have been held to any higher standard than Bush.