AWOL redux

[Mike B.]

Here we go again...

Are we all going nuts with this AWOL thing?

I saw Terry McCauliffe, the DNC chairman who worked for Clinton, say that he welcomes the opportuinity for Kerry the war hero to stand next to Bush who was AWOL.

Is this what we want for out presidential campaigns?

First off I didn't realize Mr. McCauliffe was Auddie Murphey. Second of all, would he have said this in 1992 when Clinton ran against decorated war hero George H.W. Bush? Would he have said it if Dean had not imploded? Dean apparently got a 4-F classification for a bad back and then went skiing.

I think it is best to just drop this, unless we want to have war hero status a prerequsite to be President.

Not that I think the GOP has clean hands here with how they went after Clinton, but I think we are entering theatre of the absurd when ex-Clintonites are critical of GW's Vietnam record.

 

[jj]

Here we go again...

Are we all going nuts with this AWOL thing?

I saw Terry McCauliffe, the DNC chairman who worked for Clinton, say that he welcomes the opportuinity for Kerry the war hero to stand next to Bush who was AWOL.

Is this what we want for out presidential campaigns?

First off I didn't realize Mr. McCauliffe was Auddie Murphey. Second of all, would he have said this in 1992 when Clinton ran against decorated war hero George H.W. Bush? Would he have said it if Dean had not imploded? Dean apparently got a 4-F classification for a bad back and then went skiing.

I think it is best to just drop this, unless we want to have war hero status a prerequsite to be President.

Not that I think the GOP has clean hands here with how they went after Clinton, but I think we are entering theatre of the absurd when ex-Clintonites are critical of GW's Vietnam record.

Come on, fella. You want the good old GOP to have a free hand in smear-campaigning, but you want the democrats to be above-board?

Why don't you just say "we want the democrats to give us the election"?

Now, I don't like the tactics much, either, but until we improve education and rhetorical understanding in this country, we're stuck with this kind of (short Saxon word deleted).

 

[Mike B.]

Re: Re: AWOL redux

Come on, fella. You want the good old GOP to have a free hand in smear-campaigning, but you want the democrats to be above-board?

Why don't you just say "we want the democrats to give us the election"?

Now, I don't like the tactics much, either, but until we improve education and rhetorical understanding in this country, we're stuck with this kind of (short Saxon word deleted).

Actually,

I supported Liberman, and now Edwards...

 

[Monketi Ghost]

That press conference today was sort of... urr...

"clearly shows" ... "I think it's a shame..." "Some people want to twist the facts..."

They find it baffling that there's any question of W's service, when it's anything but clear... some pointed up that records of pay-dates aren't proof of prescence or service.

Interesting, all in all.

 

[Zero]

I think this has become an issue because the Bush camp hasn't bothered to answer the questions in an above-board way. I personally don't think the issue of his service is as important as the issue of his dishonesty about it. Clinton's avoidance of the war was played up as a much bigger deal, with less reason behind it. This Bush thing is of slightly more importance, simply because of Bush's hawkish stance.

 

[Mike B.]

Actually the first time this issue came up was in 1988 with Dan Quayle who used influence to get into the Guard.

I think this all pre-dates Clinton a bit.

 

[Silicon]

How about how the right made fun of Army veteran Dukakis because of how he looked in a tank?

If we're denegrating people's military service, how about that one?

Why does our "flightsuit in chief" get a pass, when an Army veteran gets ridiculed for driving a tank?

 

[Grammatron]

How about how the right made fun of Army veteran Dukakis because of how he looked in a tank?

If we're denegrating people's military service, how about that one?

Why does our "flightsuit in chief" get a pass, when an Army veteran gets ridiculed for driving a tank?

He got a pass for that? It was and to a degree still is a huge joke.

I think one of the issues here is that when right was calling Clinton a draft dodger, Kerry said we need to put Vietnam behind us and concentrate on current issues. Now all of a sudden it's important that he's a Vietnam vet and we must now about Bush's service in army.

 

[Zero]

He got a pass for that? It was and to a degree still is a huge joke.

I think one of the issues here is that when right was calling Clinton a draft dodger, Kerry said we need to put Vietnam behind us and concentrate on current issues. Now all of a sudden it's important that he's a Vietnam vet and we must now about Bush's service in army.

You do realize that there is a big difference in stretching the system to avoid service, and blowing off military service to do bong hits, right?

 

[Grammatron]

You do realize that there is a big difference in stretching the system to avoid service, and blowing off military service to do bong hits, right?

I do, one is of questionable validity and the other is proven and undenied . What they both have in common is that neither is helping to deal with the current issues that face this country.

 

[Abdul Alhazred]

Not that I think the GOP has clean hands here with how they went after Clinton, but I think we are entering theatre of the absurd when ex-Clintonites are critical of GW's Vietnam record.

This is absolutely right. Yes I was a draft avoider myself and furthermore voted for Clinton twice. Admittedly I became disgusted with him.

I have to ask myself, if had I rich daddy would I have done different from W?

My vote will have to be decided on some other issue.

 

[BTox]

I think one of the issues here is that when right was calling Clinton a draft dodger, Kerry said we need to put Vietnam behind us and concentrate on current issues. Now all of a sudden it's important that he's a Vietnam vet and we must now about Bush's service in army.

This is exactly the point. Kerry will be exposed in the fall when the repubs start spending their $200 mill war chest on commercials showing with his own words the many flip flops in positions he's taken.

 

[Zero]

I do, one is of questionable validity and the other is proven and undenied . What they both have in common is that neither is helping to deal with the current issues that face this country.

Yeah, I know...wouldn't it be nice if Bush could present a set of orders signed off on by his commanding officer(or admin officer, realistically), saying that his regular ANG drill had been waived? Then we could just move on, right?

 

[rikzilla]

Yeah, I know...wouldn't it be nice if Bush could present a set of orders signed off on by his commanding officer(or admin officer, realistically), saying that his regular ANG drill had been waived? Then we could just move on, right?

Well, I doubt that document exists since, if I were Bush, I'd have trotted it out instead of the pay stubs.

Here's the deal as far as I can tell. GWB was a jet jockey. There is no way a fighter pilot can stay current if he doesn't fly regular training missions. I know of no way a pilot, any pilot, could possibly sign for an aircraft without a commanding officer's knowledge. Therefore, unless GWB has flight logs which show him actively training during the 6 months in question, it's hard to imagine him being present for duty. His duty as a pilot was to stay current. You can't stay current by being invisible to your commanding officer.

So, to me it looks bad for GWB. Besides, I thought it looked bad last election too. I ended up voting for Nader as a protest vote because I could stand neither Gore nor Bush....I thought America deserved better. However, I've come to respect Bush's decisions as president. He's done a great and gutsy good job over the last 4 years. Perhaps he got Daddy to cover for him all those years ago?

Don't know,...can't say I really care as his record in the White House is the only thing that really matters to me now. If rehashing this old crap is the best the Dems can do, then Ed help them!

-z