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Bush Guard Commander Recants AWOL Charge
The ex-military man who first launched charges during the 2000 presidential campaign that President Bush had gone AWOL from the National Guard has recanted his story. (You donât say!) The account from Brig. Gen. William Turnipseed, who told the Boston Globe four years ago that Bush never showed up for Guard drills with his Alabama unit, had become the centerpiece of Democratic attacks on the White House in recent days. "Had [Bush] reported in, I would have had some recall, and I do not," Gen. Turnipseed told the Globe in May 2000. "I had been in Texas, done my flight training there. If we had had a first lieutenant from Texas, I would have remembered." (Apparantly NOT!) But on Wednesday Gen. Turnipseed reversed course, telling NBC News: "I donât know if [Bush] showed up, I donât know if he didnât. I donât remember how often I was even at the base." Still, the same day the retired general had withdrawn the allegation, Democratic National Committee chairman Terry (The Rat) McAuliffe was citing Turnipseedâs earlier, erroneous account in a bid to keep AWOL charges against Bush afloat. "The commander this week reiterated the entire time [Bush] was supposed to show up in the Alabama National Guard he wasnât there," McAuliffe told CNNâs "Inside Politics" on Wednesday. "He said he made it up later, but you donât have that option. When youâre supposed to serve our country, youâre supposed to be there." In fact, McAuliffe was wrong on the latter point as well, since Guard regulations expressly allow for make-up drills, according to no less an authority than Gen. Turnipseed himself. In July 2000, the New York Times reported, "Colonel Turnipseed, who retired as a general, said in an interview that regulations allowed Guard members to miss duty as long as it was made up within the same quarter." Asked if McAuliffe was prepared to apologize to the White House for misstating Gen. Turnipseedâs position on the Bush AWOL allegation, a spokesman for the DNC told NewsMax: "I donât know. Weâll get back to you." I would really like to know how long Mr. McAuliffe served in the Military? I donât have to look and neither do you. Scratch one option from the DNC dirty play book. They will next clain the Bush showed up in a dress or drunk (or both) for guard duty. Terry, the Rat disgusts me! Does the TRUTH hurt Terry? Well does it? Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) 2004-02-06 |
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