Missing Records
Reported by Eleanor - September 9, 2004 -
Fox & Friends (Sept. 9, 7:00 a.m.) performed some serious damage control to blunt Ben Barnes' appearance on 60 Minutes last night about Bush's National Guard service and non-service.
Talking Points:
- Ollie North wrote a "Dear John" letter to John Kerry asking him to apologize for his testimony in 1971.
- Bush's National Guard service is a "record rift," while the swift boat story about Kerry is "explosive."
- How much does Bush's service matter - Bush said that Kerry did more in Viet Nam than he did.
- Ed Gillespie, Bush's campaign adviser, said he wasn't disturbed by Kerry's service, while Terry McAuliffe, Kerry's campaign adviser, called Bush dishonorable. In some people's minds, it's equal.
- Kerry was the one who made Viet Nam the pillar of his campaign. (So the swift boat ads are Kerry's fault!!)
- Polls favor Bush.
- Nicole Devenish, Bush communications, reinforced most of the above.
- Two callers said the Bush National Guard issue is "worthless," but one of the callers said the investigation of Kerry's post-war record should continue.
- The investigation of Bush is taking away from more important issues.
- Greg Kelly gave an actual news report that Barnes claimed he gave Bush preferential treatment, and Jerry Killian's letter said Bush was suspended for failure to perform to standards and failure to take his physical.
Comment: The bottom line from our Fox Friends was that Bush was absent because of his Harvard Business school deferment. But they didn't mention the fact that he didn't leave the Guard for Harvard until July of 1973. So this explanation is a lie being touted by Fox, and perhaps others. The Harvard lie is probably enough for non-inquisitive minds, who watch Fox for news, and it doesn't explain the gaps in his service before July of 1973 - the service gaps that are being questioned. Then Maj. Rufus G. Martin said that Bush was "not rated for the period May 1, 1972 through Apr. 30, 1973. The report for this period is not available for administrative reasons." By then, Texas Air National Guard officials had approved Bush's request to leave the Guard to attend Harvard Business School; his last days of duty were in July 1973. See Bush's National Guard File Missing Records for a list of what records are conveniently missing.
Another document from the Washington Post can be found at Records Say Bush Balked at Order.
