Brother AACOOLDRE : I know what Bush did many summers ago

[AACOOLDRE]

Back in February, President Bush sat down in the Oval Office for an interview with Tim Russert and spoke about his service in the National Guard. Bush told us, "I put in my time, proudly so." He said, "And I'm telling you, I did my duty."

But now we know that Bush dishonored the Oval Office by lying to the American people.

New investigations from multiple media sources have revealed the truth about President Bush's service. New military documents show that Bush disobeyed a direct order from his commander to take a flight physical and "failed to perform to U.S. Air Force/Texas Air National Guard standards" -- and was grounded as a result.

New evidence supports claims that Bush missed months of service and that he never showed up for service with the Alabama National Guard.

New evidence shows that Bush received special treatment. His supervisor wrote that he felt pressured from above to "sugar coat" Bush's records.

And Ben Barnes, former Lt. Governor and State House Speaker of Texas, has come forward to say that he pulled strings to get Bush a coveted spot in the Guard, which directly contradicts Bush's claim that he received no special treatment.

Only Bush Can Answer Questions
President Bush has a lot to answer for. Only he can clear up the questions regarding the discrepancies in his service record, and he owes the American people those answers. Here are just a few of the questions Bush must answer.

Why did George Bush say "I did my duty" when he missed months of duty in 1972, 73 and 74?
How did George Bush avoid getting called into active service for missing months of duty in 1972, 73, and 74?
Why did George Bush disobey a direct order to take his physical?
What standard did George Bush fail to meet when he was grounded for failing to perform at US Air Force/Texas Air National Guard Standards?
Why did George Bush go above his commander's head to ensure a favorable evaluation he had not earned?
Why did George Bush say he received "no special treatment" when Ben Barnes says he pulled strings to secure a Guard slot for him?
Who asked Bush family friend Sidney Adger to get Bush a slot in the Guard immediately after Bush graduated and at the height of the Vietnam War?
When will George Bush produce any credible witness who can attest to his service in the Alabama Air National Guard?
Take Action
You can help us hold Bush accountable. Sign our petition to President Bush and demand that he answer the American people's questions about his Guard service.

http://www.democrats.org/action/

Make sure the pressure stays on Bush and make sure the media holds him responsible. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper about the questions you have for President Bush.

http://www.democrats.org/action/

 

[AACOOLDRE]

STILL UNREPORTED: THE PAY-OFF IN BUSH AIR GUARD F

In 1968, former Congressman George Herbert Walker Bush of Texas, fresh
from voting to send other men's sons to Vietnam, enlisted his own son
in a very special affirmative action program, the 'champagne' unit of
the Texas Air National Guard. There, Top Gun fighter pilot George Dubya
was assigned the dangerous job of protecting Houston from Vietcong air
attack.

This week, former Lt. Governor Ben Barnes of Texas 'fessed up to
pulling the strings to keep Little George out of the jungle. "I got a young
man named George W. Bush into the Texas Air Guard - and I'm ashamed."

THE PAY-OFF

That's far from the end of the story. In 1994, George W. Bush was
elected governor of Texas by a whisker. By that time, Barnes had left
office to become a big time corporate lobbyist. To an influence peddler like
Barnes, having damning information on a sitting governor is worth its
weight in gold – or, more precisely, there’s a value in keeping the info
secret.

Barnes appears to have made lucrative use of his knowledge of our
President's slithering out of the draft as a lever to protect a
multi-billion dollar contract for a client. That's the information in a
confidential letter buried deep in the files of the US Justice Department that
fell into my hands at BBC television.

Here's what happened. Just after Bush's election, Barnes' client GTech
Corp., due to allegations of corruption, was about to lose its license
to print money: its contract to run the Texas state lottery. Barnes,
says the Justice Department document, made a call to the newly elected
governor's office and saved GTech's state contract.

The letter said, "Governor Bush ... made a deal with Ben Barnes not to
rebid [the GTech lottery contract] because Barnes could confirm that
Bush had lied during the '94 campaign."

In that close race, Bush denied the fix was in to keep him out of 'Nam,
and the US media stopped asking questions. What did the victorious
Governor Bush's office do for Barnes? According to the tipster, "Barnes
agreed never to confirm the story [of the draft dodging] and the governor
talked to the chair of the lottery two days later and she then agreed
to support letting GTech keep the contract without a bid."

And so it came to pass that the governor's commission reversed itself
and gave GTech the billion dollar deal without a bid.

The happy client paid Barnes, the keeper of Governor Bush's secret, a
fee of over $23 million. Barnes, not surprisingly, denies that Bush took
care of his client in return for Barnes' silence. However, confronted
with the evidence, the former Lt. Governor now admits to helping the
young George stay out of Vietnam.

Take a look at the letter yourself - with information we confirmed with
other sources - at
http://www.gregpalast.com/ulf/documents/draftdodgeblanked.jpg).

Frankly, I don't care if President Bush cowered and ran from Vietnam.
I sure as hell didn't volunteer ... but then, my daddy didn't send
someone else in my place. And I don't march around aircraft carriers with
parachute clips around my gonads talking about war and sacrifice.

More important, I haven't made any pay-offs to silence those who could
change my image from war hero to war zero.

"TIME WARNER WON'T LET US AIR THIS"

By the way: I first reported this story in 1999, including the evidence
of payback, in The Observer of London. US media closed its eyes. Then I
put the story on British television last year in the one-hour report,
"Bush Family Fortunes." American networks turned down BBC's offer to run
it in the USA. "Wonderful film," one executive told me, "but Time
Warner is not going to let us put this on the air." However, US networks
will take cash for advertisements calling Kerry a Vietnam coward.

The good news is, until Patriot Act 3 kicks in, they can't stop us
selling the film to you directly. The updated version of "Bush Family
Fortunes," with the full story you still can't see on your boob tube, will
be released next month in DVD. See a preview at
http://www.gregpalast.com/bff-dvd.htm

For more on our president's war years and the $23 million payment,
read this excerpt from the New York Times bestseller, The Best Democracy
Money Can Buy. http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=233&row=1