The promised fermentation
Sep. 30th, 2004 02:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pecuniumI was afraid they would, and they have.
The Bush White House is using the discrediting of the CBS Memos to rewrite the facts. The idea seems to be innocence by association (it goes like this... 1: the Memos, were forged; ergo those charges are baseless [objection, assumes facts not in evidence] 2: there are other charges out there, they must also be false... because we know the Memos were made up, so all charges must be baseless; 3: therefore he is not guilty of any failures in the completion of his Nat. Guard duties).
But, not to mince words, what is being said, is a pack of lies.
""The president was transferring to Alabama to perform equivalent duty in a non-flying capacity, making a flight physical unnecessary," the White House said." in response to questions from the AP, they went on to say, "Bush has maintained he fulfilled all of his National Guard requirements and served honorably." When more questions were asked by the AP about "whether Bush ever participated in a disciplinary process during his Guard service, whether he ever received a critical report or was ever present for a conversation in which his performance, conduct or physical condition were raised by a superior officer.
"No and this is clear from the president's records, which have been made public," the White House said in an e-mail response.
The Texas Air National Guard stripped Bush of his pilot status in August 1972 for failing to take the annual medical exam required of all pilots. Former Air National Guard officials say it was rare for a pilot to skip his physical exam.
"No," the White House replied when asked whether Bush ever failed a medical exam in the Guard or had a medical problem that would have temporarily or permanently disqualified him from flying."
White House press conference
But the facts of the matter are quite different. Bush signed on to fly, and he agreed to fly for six years, he flew for three and a half, (then again, he has been on vacation for something like 40 percent of his presidency, so that seems about right). So he failed to meet the obligation.
His job was pilot. That means he was obliged to maintain flight status, so he failed another obligation.
He was disciplined, so someone is lying about that.
Now... was he AWOL... hard to say. Is he a deserter, no..., that's a decision only to be reached by a court, and he was never charged, much less convicted, but to say his service was fulfilled, to say he met all his obligations, is wrong.
Do I care? Not really. That was a long time ago, and a different war. I remember telling my mother I wanted to be a cop, because cops don't get drafted. Even as a Nat.Guard member, who was volunteered to go overseas I don't much care.
But as a citizen, looking at how he is handling the affair now... I care. If he bailed, and got away with it, fine... if he fesses up (there's that puritan ethic, confess to the congregation, and be forgiven, keep your sin to yourself and become a pariah... tortured inside; though I think... drifting onn a tangent, his brand of BA Xianity keeps him even from that much awareness of guilt, much less shame).
But he's hiding... which makes me think there's something to be ashamed of. His handlers probably think it wouldn't play well (and by now, since no one ever thought there wouldn't be a cover up, it won't).
Drag it out into the light.
The Bush White House is using the discrediting of the CBS Memos to rewrite the facts. The idea seems to be innocence by association (it goes like this... 1: the Memos, were forged; ergo those charges are baseless [objection, assumes facts not in evidence] 2: there are other charges out there, they must also be false... because we know the Memos were made up, so all charges must be baseless; 3: therefore he is not guilty of any failures in the completion of his Nat. Guard duties).
But, not to mince words, what is being said, is a pack of lies.
""The president was transferring to Alabama to perform equivalent duty in a non-flying capacity, making a flight physical unnecessary," the White House said." in response to questions from the AP, they went on to say, "Bush has maintained he fulfilled all of his National Guard requirements and served honorably." When more questions were asked by the AP about "whether Bush ever participated in a disciplinary process during his Guard service, whether he ever received a critical report or was ever present for a conversation in which his performance, conduct or physical condition were raised by a superior officer.
"No and this is clear from the president's records, which have been made public," the White House said in an e-mail response.
The Texas Air National Guard stripped Bush of his pilot status in August 1972 for failing to take the annual medical exam required of all pilots. Former Air National Guard officials say it was rare for a pilot to skip his physical exam.
"No," the White House replied when asked whether Bush ever failed a medical exam in the Guard or had a medical problem that would have temporarily or permanently disqualified him from flying."
White House press conference
But the facts of the matter are quite different. Bush signed on to fly, and he agreed to fly for six years, he flew for three and a half, (then again, he has been on vacation for something like 40 percent of his presidency, so that seems about right). So he failed to meet the obligation.
His job was pilot. That means he was obliged to maintain flight status, so he failed another obligation.
He was disciplined, so someone is lying about that.
Now... was he AWOL... hard to say. Is he a deserter, no..., that's a decision only to be reached by a court, and he was never charged, much less convicted, but to say his service was fulfilled, to say he met all his obligations, is wrong.
Do I care? Not really. That was a long time ago, and a different war. I remember telling my mother I wanted to be a cop, because cops don't get drafted. Even as a Nat.Guard member, who was volunteered to go overseas I don't much care.
But as a citizen, looking at how he is handling the affair now... I care. If he bailed, and got away with it, fine... if he fesses up (there's that puritan ethic, confess to the congregation, and be forgiven, keep your sin to yourself and become a pariah... tortured inside; though I think... drifting onn a tangent, his brand of BA Xianity keeps him even from that much awareness of guilt, much less shame).
But he's hiding... which makes me think there's something to be ashamed of. His handlers probably think it wouldn't play well (and by now, since no one ever thought there wouldn't be a cover up, it won't).
Drag it out into the light.
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no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 11:32 am (UTC)I feel vaguely ill when I hear stuff like this (and I feel ill when I consider that my F-4-pilot-who-went-to-Vietnam father will almost certainly vote for him). I also feel a bone-deep weariness, which is unusual for me. They seem to have an inexhaustable supply of energy and ability to distort, evade, and then get away with it. A hydra of deceit, if you will...
Neither of those will keep me from going to the polls and volunteering for the DNC, though. I'm not *that* tired.