National Counsel for Bush Campaign Resigns

[Deckard]

This is major news. So, the Bush campaign had no coordination with the smear operation against Kerry we've been seeing, hearing, and reading so much about??

Right.
Or maybe I should say, wrong.


Bush counsel quits over advising swift-boat vets
THE NEW YORK TIMES

CRAWFORD, Texas - The national counsel for President Bush's re-election campaign resigned Wednesday less than 24 hours after he acknowledged that he had provided legal advice to a veterans' group that has leveled many attacks on Sen. John Kerry's war record.

Hours later, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who is both a friend of Kerry's and an increasingly vigorous supporter of Bush's, said in an interview that that he intended to personally "express my displeasure" to the president when they campaign together next week.

McCain said that he was taking the president at his word that he was not responsible for the ads, but that he does not think Bush had gone far enough in condemning them. He also said he wanted the Kerry campaign to stop using images of his own 2000 primary fight against Bush in its advertising.

The resignation of the counsel, Benjamin L. Ginsberg, was announced on Wednesday morning by the Bush campaign, which released a letter Ginsberg had written to the president saying that he had done nothing wrong but that he did not want to hamper the president's re-election effort.

"I cannot begin to express my sadness that my legal representations have become a distraction from the critical issues at hand in this election," Ginsberg wrote in his letter.

Republicans, who a few days ago were saying the swift-boat controversy was a problem for Kerry's campaign because it raised questions about Kerry's war credentials, began to say Wednesday that the issue was not helpful for Bush.

The Kerry campaign continued to try to keep the issue alive, using Ginsberg's resignation to press its charges that the president was using the veterans as a front for negative campaigning.

Democrats put up a new 60-second ad on the issue, asked Attorney General John Ashcroft to open a criminal investigation into links between the Bush camp and the 250-member anti-Kerry veterans group, and sent to Texas former Sen. Max Cleland of Georgia, a triple amputee from the Vietnam War.

In the most theatrical event of the president's weeklong Texas vacation, Cleland turned up at the remote first checkpoint outside Bush's 1,600-acre ranch on Wednesday afternoon, and then tried to deliver a letter asking the president to condemn the television commercials.

Cleland, a Democrat, said Bush was behind the swift-boat group. "These scurrilous ads are false, and George Bush is behind it," Cleland said. "The question is, where is George Bush's honor? Where is his shame?"

The White House fired back that Cleland's visit was nothing more than an effort to grab headlines. "Sen. Kerry says he wants to talk about the issues," said White House press secretary Scott McClellan. "Today's political stunt is an interesting way of showing it."

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/vote_2004/35953.php

[underoverup]

Bush is behind all these sleazy ads what a shame ----

[RocketMan Tex]

MWAH!

Bush's chances for re-selection are wallowing in a mire of lies and deceit.

He'd better make one hell of a speech at the RNC if he wants to have a chance in November. Dancing around all of his campaign's *****ups must be tiring.

[Dennis2112]

Originally posted by underoverup Bush is behind all these sleazy ads what a shame ----

It is a travesty that Bush would be behind the ads which compare him to Hitler..err..wait that was MOVEON.org.


As a matter of fact , one of MOVEON.org's organizers is the Kerry Campaign Internet Guru. No connection there.


Has Kerry denounced those ads? Or is it ok for the ads that attack Bush but not ok for the ads that attack Kerry.

[Dennis2112]

Originally posted by RocketMan Tex MWAH! Bush's chances for re-selection are wallowing in a mire of lies and deceit. He'd better make one hell of a speech at the RNC if he wants to have a chance in November. Dancing around all of his campaign's *****ups must be tiring.

Funny, I was going to say that same thing about Kerry.

Bush has released his records that prove he was NOT awol. But Kerry has not released his that disproves the swiftvets.

I wonder why?

[mc mark]

Jesus Dennis you've really swallowed the party line, hook and Rove sinker haven't you?

[JeffB]

It sucks most that a couple semi-anonymous billionares, for both team A and team B, are able to influence our democracy so much just by spending money on attack ads.

[Dennis2112]

Originally posted by mc mark Jesus Dennis you've really swallowed the party line, hook and Rove sinker haven't you?

Just want hook or line are you refering to?

I really could care less what Kerry or Bush did 30+ years ago but if Kerry is going to make it his central reason why he is qualified to be president and a LARGE group of vets, some of whom served with him, dispute his record. The facts need to be presented.

If Kerry released his military records and they say what he claims, the swiftvets would become yesterday's news. However, if the records prove what the swiftvets say is true and disputes Kerry's version...well, that would be a problem for Kerry.

By not releasing the records, it gives the impression of something to hide.

I do not wish to make any vet in a bad light but these attack ads, 86% of them money-wise attack Bush, suck from both ends of the spectrum.


Where was Kerry when all these personal attack ads were labeling Bush as Hitler. Was it ok as long as it was not against Kerry?

Sorry but Mr. Kerry cannot have both ways.

[mc mark]

Navy Report Backs Kerry Role in Incident

By MATT KELLEY, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - A Navy report filed five days after a disputed incident in Vietnam supports John Kerry (news - web sites)'s version and contradicts critics who say the Democratic presidential nominee never came under enemy gunfire when he won two medals.

The Navy task force overseeing Kerry's swift boat squadron reported his group of boats being fired on during the March 13, 1969, incident. Some of Kerry's critics, including several men who were on other boats that day, say there was no enemy gunfire during the incident that won Kerry a Bronze Star and his third Purple Heart.

The March 18, 1969, weekly report from Task Force 115, which was located by The Associated Press during a search of Navy archives, is the latest document to surface that supports Kerry's description of the event. Crew members on Kerry's boat and a Special Forces soldier Kerry pulled from the water that day insist there was enemy fire, and they have appeared on behalf of the Kerry campaign.

The task force report twice mentions the incident and both times calls it "an enemy initiated firefight" that included automatic weapons fire and underwater mines used against a group of five boats that included Kerry's.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...7&sid=96378798

[bnb]

I'm impressed he resigned.

Standard Procedure here is usually to dance your way out of it.

[mc mark]

Sorry Deck! Don't mean to derail your thread.

Got a dentist apt. Gotta run!

[Dennis2112]

Originally posted by mc mark Navy Report Backs Kerry Role in Incident By MATT KELLEY, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - A Navy report filed five days after a disputed incident in Vietnam supports John Kerry (news - web sites)'s version and contradicts critics who say the Democratic presidential nominee never came under enemy gunfire when he won two medals. The Navy task force overseeing Kerry's swift boat squadron reported his group of boats being fired on during the March 13, 1969, incident. Some of Kerry's critics, including several men who were on other boats that day, say there was no enemy gunfire during the incident that won Kerry a Bronze Star and his third Purple Heart. The March 18, 1969, weekly report from Task Force 115, which was located by The Associated Press during a search of Navy archives, is the latest document to surface that supports Kerry's description of the event. Crew members on Kerry's boat and a Special Forces soldier Kerry pulled from the water that day insist there was enemy fire, and they have appeared on behalf of the Kerry campaign. The task force report twice mentions the incident and both times calls it "an enemy initiated firefight" that included automatic weapons fire and underwater mines used against a group of five boats that included Kerry's. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...7&sid=96378798

Nice try but the report in question was not written by his superior officer or any other officer in the squad. It was very likely just a copy of Mr. Kerry's report that was submitted at the time. Every officer in his group discounts that version of it. Now why would multiple people be lying but Mr. Kerry is not?

[Dennis2112]

Originally posted by bnb I'm impressed he resigned. Standard Procedure here is usually to dance your way out of it.

I agree.

Although I feel he did nothing wrong, it shows character and honor to do the right thing.

[No Worries]

Originally posted by Dennis2112 Bush has released his records that prove he was NOT awol.

Put down the crack pipe and slowly step away ...

[RocketMan Tex]

Originally posted by Dennis2112 Although I feel he did nothing wrong, it shows character and honor to do the right thing.

Then he should have stayed. Character and honor are two things that are in very short supply in the Bush II Administration.

[Dennis2112]

Originally posted by No Worries Put down the crack pipe and slowly step away ...

Read the following article after you "put down the crack pipe and slowly step away"

http://www.nationalreview.com/flashb...0408261025.asp

FOUR YEARS OF FLYING The controversy over Bush's service centers on what his critics call "the period in question," that is, the time from May 1972 until May 1973. What is not mentioned as often is that that period was in fact Bush's fifth year in the Guard, one that followed four years of often intense service.

Bush joined in May 1968. He went through six weeks of basic training — a full-time job — at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Tex. Then he underwent 53 weeks of flight training — again, full time — at Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Ga. Then he underwent 21 weeks of fighter interceptor training — full time — at Ellington Air Force Base in Houston. Counting other, shorter, postings in between, by the end of his training period Bush had served two years on active duty.

Certified to fly the F-102 fighter plane, Bush then began a period of frequent — usually weekly — flying. The F-102 was designed to shoot down other fighter planes, and the missions Bush flew were training flights, mostly over the Gulf of Mexico and often at night, in which pilots took turns being the predator and the prey."If you're going to practice how to shoot down another airplane, then you have to have another airplane up there to work on," recalls retired Col. William Campenni, who flew with Bush in 1970 and 1971. "He'd be the target for the first half of the mission, and then we'd switch."

During that period Bush's superiors gave him consistently high ratings as a pilot. "Lt. Bush is an exceptional fighter interceptor pilot and officer," wrote one in a 1972 evaluation. Another evaluation, in 1971, called Bush "an exceptionally fine young officer and pilot" who "continually flies intercept missions with the unit to increase his proficiency even further." And a third rating, in 1970, said Bush "clearly stands out as a top notch fighter interceptor pilot" and was also "a natural leader whom his contemporaries look to for leadership."

All that flying involved quite a bit of work. "Being a pilot is more than just a monthly appearance," says Bob Harmon, a former Guard pilot who was a member of Bush's group in 1971 and 1972. "You cannot maintain your currency by doing just one drill a month. He was flying once or twice a week during that time, from May of 1971 until May of 1972." While the work was certainly not as dangerous as fighting in the jungles of Vietnam, it wasn't exactly safe, either. Harmon remembers a half-dozen Texas Air National Guard fliers who died in accidents over the years, in cluding one during the time Bush was flying. "This was not an endeavor without risk," Harmon notes.

THE MOVE TO ALABAMA The records show that Bush kept up his rigorous schedule of flying through the spring of 1972: He was credited for duty on ten days in March of that year, and seven days in April. Then, as Bush began his fifth year of service in the Guard, he appears to have stepped back dramatically. The records indicate that he received no credit in May, June, July, August, and September 1972. In October, he was credited with two days, and in November he was credited with four. There were no days in December, and then six in January 1973. Then there were no days in February and March.

The change was the result of Bush's decision to go to Alabama to work on the Senate campaign of Republican Winton Blount. With an obligation to the Guard, Bush asked to perform equivalent service in Alabama. That was not an unusual request, given that members of the Guard, like everyone else, often moved around the country. "It was a common thing," recalls Brigadier General Turnipseed. "If we had had a guy in Houston, he could have made equivalent training with Bush's unit. It was so common that the guy who wrote the letter telling Bush to come didn't even tell me about it."

The president's critics have charged that he did not show up for service — was "AWOL" — in Alabama. Bush says he did serve, and his case is supported by records showing that he was paid and given retirement credit for days of service while he was known to be in Alabama. The records also show that Bush received a dental examination on January 6, 1973, at Dannelly Air National Guard base, home of the 187th (January 6 was one of the days that pay records show Bush receiving credit for service). And while a number of Guard members at the base say they do not remember seeing Bush among the roughly 900 men who served there during that time, another member, a retired lieutenant named John Calhoun, says he remembers seeing Bush at the base several times.

What seems most likely is that Bush was indeed at Dannelly, but there was not very much for a non-flying pilot to do. Flying fighter jets involves constant practice and training; Bush had to know when he left Texas that he would no longer be able to engage in either one very often, which meant that he would essentially leave flying, at least for some substantial period of time. In addition, the 187th could not accommodate another pilot, at least regularly. "He was not going to fly," says Turnipseed. "We didn't have enough airplanes or sorties to handle our own pilots, so we wouldn't have done it for some guy passing through."

On the other hand, showing up for drills was still meeting one's responsibility to the Guard. And, as 1973 went along, the evidence suggests that Bush stepped up his work to make up for the time he had missed earlier. In April of that year, he received credit for two days; in May, he received credit for 14 days; in June, five days; and in July, 19 days. That was the last service Bush performed in the Guard. Later that year, he asked for and received permission to leave the Guard early so he could attend Harvard Business School. He was given an honorable discharge after serving five years, four months, and five days of his original six-year commitment.

The records indicate that, despite his move to Alabama, Bush met his obligation to the Guard in the 1972-73 year. At that time, Guardsmen were awarded points based on the days they reported for duty each year. They were given 15 points just for being in the Guard, and were then required to accumulate a total of 50 points to satisfy the annual requirement. In his first four years of service, Bush piled up lots of points; he earned 253 points in his first year, 340 in his second, 137 in his third, and 112 in his fourth. For the year from May 1972 to May 1973, records show Bush earned 56 points, a much smaller total, but more than the minimum requirement (his service was measured on a May-to-May basis because he first joined the Guard in that month in 1968).

Bush then racked up another 56 points in June and July of 1973, which met the minimum requirement for the 1973-74 year, which was Bush's last year of service. Together, the record "clearly shows that First Lieutenant George W. Bush has satisfactory years for both '72-'73 and '73-'74, which proves that he completed his military obligation in a satisfactory manner," says retired Lt. Col. Albert Lloyd, a Guard personnel officer who reviewed the records at the request of the White House.

All in all, the documents show that Bush served intensively for four years and then let up in his fifth and sixth years, although he still did enough to meet Guard requirements. The records also suggest that Bush's superiors were not only happy with his performance from 1968 to 1972, but also happy with his decision to go to Alabama. Indeed, Bush's evaluating officer wrote in May 1972 that "Lt. Bush is very active in civic affairs in the community and manifests a deep interest in the operation of our government. He has recently accepted the position as campaign manager for a candidate for United States Senate. He is a good representative of the military and Air National Guard in the business world."

Beyond their apparent hope that Bush would be a good ambassador for the Guard, Bush's superiors might have been happy with his decision to go into politics for another reason: They simply had more people than they needed. "In 1972, there was an enormous glut of pilots," says Campenni. "The Vietnam War was winding down, and the Air Force was putting pilots in desk jobs. In '72 or '73, if you were a pilot, active or Guard, and you had an obligation and wanted to get out, no problem. In fact, you were helping them solve their problem."

[bnb]

Originally posted by RocketMan Tex Then he should have stayed. Character and honor are two things that are in very short supply in the Bush II Administration.

:D :D :D

Not quite ready to cannonize him for stepping down when he was found himself in a potentially compromised position...just acknowledging that it was the right thing to do.

[kpsta]

(Don't forget the link to the NRO... Mods don't like the unlinked articles...)

[Dennis2112]

Originally posted by RocketMan Tex Then he should have stayed. Character and honor are two things that are in very short supply in the Bush II Administration.

Well by reviewing the following statements made Mr. Ginsberg, you will see a man with honor & character by not letting the issues surrounding an unrelated action to get in the way or cause any problems with the Bush campaign.

"I cannot begin to express my sadness that my legal representations have become a distraction from the critical issues at hand in this election," Benjamin Ginsberg wrote in a resignation letter to Bush released by the campaign.
"I feel I cannot let that continue, so I have decided to resign as national counsel to your campaign to ensure that the giving of legal advice to decorated military veterans, which was entirely within the boundaries of the law, doesn't distract from the real issues upon which you and the country should be focusing."

[Dennis2112]

Originally posted by kpsta (Don't forget the link to the NRO... Mods don't like the unlinked articles...)

Done..

In previous post

Thanks for the reminder...