Those missing months in the National Guard

I'm amused by the indignation in the air surrounding any questions about Bush's record being for "political" motives. As if the Bush team doesn't play politics. If you run and serve on the "character" card, be ready to have yours questioned. Especially during a messy war. Whoops, "post - war conflict with insurgents..." Character isn't just about a preference for interns on their knees under your desk. Sometimes, it's about duty. And its avoidance.

Scott McClelland, red-faced and school-marmish in Tucker Carlson mode, kept shaking his head and telling the press corps these questions are reprehensible. But I appreciated the reporter who reminded us, Americans are sending their sons and daughters onto a dangerous battlefield. Isn't the earlier behavior of the President relevant -- when he was draft age, and -- if not for his wealth and familial connections -- draftable into fighting an unpopular war? Were not his choices ... character-defining? This president has yet to attend a funeral, and has barely acknowledged the sacrifice of life, except with general homelies. Trying to turn his strategic escaping of combat into a mere "inhale" issue is almost funny. Almost. Alas, we are watching soldiers in an all volunteer army die every day. On his watch. Because he chose to place them in harm's way.

I'd say Dubya's youthful 'tude toward getting a little blood under his own polished fingernails is at least worth revisiting.

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Updated On: 2/10/04 at 03:35 PM

Was this an allegation brought by the Democrats or was it a news source that discovered it? I think I smell the election year staring to heat up. I am not saying I think it isn't true, but with politics nowadays it makes me wonder if they are the ones who released the allegations, just how long they've been holding onto this information how much they are digging up, etc. etc. I don't watch the news , its kind of sad but I hear most of the stuff about the outside world fro this board. I know the Republicans would do the same thing if they had this information about a Democratic President. I hate politics.

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Son. It's time to start reading and listening. Presumably, you are old enough to vote. This is for big stakes...its about your's, mine, and everyone's future. The world's future. These are scary times. You have a responsibility to know what's going on before you cast your ballot.

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Richard Cohen has a great column in today's Washington Post about this issue.

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i have a love/hate relationship with mr. cohen. everytime i get so mad that i swear i'll use his column as toilet paper he writes one that i agree with. not that this is one of them, mind you, but it is getting near the time when he ought to, dammit!

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I wonder when Clinton will release his military records . I remember kerry , when Clinton was running , said serving in the military should not be an issue. Guess that only applies to Democrats. Hear tell reservists , especially relatives of those who died in Iraq , are not to thrilled with Kerry basically saying service by reservists was worthless.

What is happening to Bush is like piling on in football. I can imagine if have of the b.s. visited on GWB had been done to Clinton & the uproar we would have heard. Bush is compared to Hitler but when you listen to speeches by Dean, Hillary, Teddy & Gore they all sound like Hitler at the height of his power. Randall, time for your medication.

It is scary they may actually get power. Bin Laden & his gang must be having a laugh for themselves. If Kerry gets it I , in NYC , will expect another attack within 2 years. I will now expect the brickbats to fly but I really do not care anymore. I am so tired of the democrats yelling & screaming ad nauseam that nothing anyone on this board will say about me would be worse. I am tired of the democratic hypocracy. Maybe with Kerry in power & us getting hit again, the people will finally get wise to the democrats . Unfortuately, it may take something like this to get it through the skulls of the americans who are stupid beyond belief. Hopefully, when we get hit again, Michael Moore/Alec Baldwin & Al Franken will be the first to go.

Ok boys & girls wail away. Take your best shots

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Updated On: 2/10/04 at 07:28 PM

wow, i must have missed the headlines about clinton running again?!?

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George W. Bush
The White House, USA


EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:


LAW ENFORCEMENT:
I was arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 1976 for
driving under the influence of alcohol. I pled
guilty, paid a fine, and had my driver's license
suspended for 30 days. My Texas driving record has
been "lost" and is not available.


MILITARY:
I joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL. I
refused to take a drug test or answer any questions
about my drug use. By joining the Texas Air National
Guard, I was able to avoid combat duty in Vietnam.


COLLEGE:
I graduated from Yale University with a low C average.
I was a cheerleader.


PAST WORK EXPERIENCE:
I ran for U.S. Congress and lost. I began my career in
the oil business in Midland, Texas, in 1975. I bought
an oil company, but couldn't find any oil in Texas.
The company went bankrupt shortly after I sold all my
stock.


I bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a
sweetheart deal that took land using taxpayer money.


With the help of my father and our right-wing friends
in the oil industry (including Enron CEO Ken Lay), I
was elected governor of Texas.


ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS:
I changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil
companies, making Texas the most polluted state in the
Union.

During my tenure, Houston replaced Los Angeles asthe
most smog-ridden city in America.

I cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas treasury to the
tune of billions in borrowed money.

I set the record for the most executions by any
governor in American history.

With the help of my brother, the governor ofFlorida,
and my father's appointments to the Supreme Court, I
became President after losing by over 500,000 votes.


ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT:

I am the first President in U.S. history to enter
office with a criminal record.

I invaded and occupied two countries at a continuing
cost of over one billion dollars per week.

I spent the U.S. surplus and effectively bankrupted
the U.S. Treasury.

I shattered the record for the largest annual deficit
in U.S. history.

I set an economic record for most private bankruptcies
filed in any 12-month period.

I set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a
12-month period.

I set the all-time record for the biggest drop in the
history of the U.S. stock market.

In my first year in office, over 2 million Americans
lost their jobs and that trend continues every month.

I'm proud that the members of my cabinet are the
richest of any administration in U.S. history. My
"poorest millionaire," Condoleeza Rice, has a Chevron
oil tanker named after her.

I set the record for most campaign fund-raising trips
by a U.S. President.

I am the all-time U.S. and world record-holder for
receiving the most corporate campaign donations.

My largest lifetime campaign contributor, and one of
my best friends, Kenneth Lay, presided over the
largest corporate bankruptcy fraud in U.S. History,
Enron.

My political party used Enron private jets and
corporate attorneys to assure my success with the U.S.
Supreme Court during my election decision.

I have protected my friends at Enron and Halliburton
against investigation or prosecution. More time and
money was spent investigating the Monica Lewinsky
affair than has been spent investigating one of the
biggest corporate rip-offs in history.

I presided over the biggest energy crisis in U.S.
history and refused to intervene when corruption
involving the oil industry was revealed.

I presided over the highest gasoline prices in U.S.
history.

I changed the U.S. policy to allow convicted criminals
to be awarded government contracts.

I appointed more convicted criminals to administration
than any President in U.S. history.

I created the Ministry of Homeland Security, the
largest bureaucracy in the history of the United
States government.

I've broken more international treaties than any
President in U.S. history.

I am the first President in U.S. history to have the
United Nations remove the U.S. from the Human Rights
Commission.

I withdrew the U.S. from the World Court of Law.

I refused to allow inspectors access to U.S.
"prisoners of war" detainees and thereby have refused
to abide by the Geneva Convention.

I am the first President in history to refuse United
Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 U.S.
election).

I set the record for fewest number of press
conferences of any President since the advent of
television.

I set the all-time record for most days on vacation in
any one-year period.

After taking off the entire month of August, I
presided over the worst security failure in U.S.
history.

I garnered the most sympathy for the U.S. after the
World Trade Center attacks and less than a year later
made the U.S. the most hated country in the world, the
largest failure of diplomacy in world history.

I have set the all-time record for most people
worldwide to simultaneously protest me in public
venues (15million people), shattering the record for
protest against any person in the history of mankind.

I am the first President in U.S. history to order an
unprovoked, pre-emptive attack and the military
occupation of a sovereign nation. I did so against the
will of the United Nations, the majority of U.S.
citizens, and the world community.

I have cut health care benefits for war veterans and
support a cut in duty benefits for active duty troops
and their families-in war time.

In my State of the Union Address, I lied about our
reasons for attacking Iraq, then blamed the lies on
our British friends.

I am the first President in history to have a majority
of Europeans (71%) view my presidency as the biggest
threat to world peace and security.

I am supporting development of a nuclear "Tactical
Bunker Buster," a WMD.

I have so far failed to fulfill my pledge to bring
Osama Bin Laden to justice.


RECORDS AND REFERENCES:
All records of my tenure as governor of Texas are now
in my father's library, sealed and unavailable for
public view.

All records of SEC investigations into my insider
trading and my bankrupt companies are sealed in
secrecy and unavailable for public view.

All records or minutes from meetings that I, or my
Vice-President, attended regarding public energy
policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for
public review.

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Roxy, I knew this topic would be ...uh, Roxy-baiting, and that we'd develop a fascinating, community-reaching dialectic here. Heated, even polarizing, to be sure. But ain't it grand? This impromptu salon of ours? Where we can safely vent about just about anything, and within 6-12 hours have so much feedback and discourse? Gotta celebrate the glasses of Democracy that are, as ever, half full for us all.

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Roxy... Am I missing something? I see no one reacting personally to you in this thread. RobbO supplied an impressive array of GWB's 'accomplishments', but that's really about George, not about you.

I personally think that George Bush is frightening, and another four years of him may be insurmountably destructive, but that doesn't make me a Kerry fan by default.

But will I vote for Kerry in November? You be your ass, if that's what it takes to get that lying sh*t out of the White House.

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That's right JRB why bother. Also why bother answering somones commets just ignore them. Why do I expect you & other anti GWB'ers to act any differently than their m.o. ?

Have a nice day

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And we'll all be dredging up the same crap on the next President, Bush or otherwise. It's a more popular pastime than baseball. While much of RobbO's list is based on facts, there are bits based on opinions rather than any hard evidence. I don't like Bush and hope his reign ends soon, but it's rare that I like every aspect of one President. President-bashing has become so common, I'd be surprised if a good President would ever be elected. The public and the press would have to find something else to crucify that could last for four years at a stretch.

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Is this the first session in your's and Papa's joint classes on deep breath, analyzing situations, making informed decisions and backing up statements with facts? If so I am excited!

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