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A Daily Chronicle of Bush Administration Distortion January 23, 2004

     

SPECIAL AFTERNOON MIS-LEAD: Questions About Bush's Military Service Linger



Questions about President Bush's military service were raised at last night's Democratic debate by Peter Jennings who called charges of desertion from the Texas Air National Guard "reckless" and "not supported by the facts."1 However, meticulously collected evidence suggests that there are continuing questions.

ABC News anchor Peter Jennings questioned General Wesley Clark about whether he should have disputed supporter Michael Moore's assertion that President Bush was a "deserter" from the Texas Air National Guard in 1972. Mr. Jennings said, "At one point, Mr. Moore said, in front of you, that President Bush - he's saying he'd like to see you, the general, and President Bush, who he called a 'deserter.' Now, that's a reckless charge not supported by the facts. And I was curious to know why you didn't contradict him, and whether or not you think it would've been a better example of ethical behavior to have done so."2

Despite Mr. Jennings characterization, the facts relating to the president's military service, beginning in 1968, and abruptly ending in 1972 -- two years prior to his six-year commitment -- are not at all clear.
  • Investigative reporters with the Boston Globe looked into Bush's service during the 2000 presidential campaign, in an article that appeared on July 28th.3


  • A retired member of the Air National Guard has obtained several memos and official letters regarding Mr. Bush's military service, and provided an analysis of whether the president "did the duty necessary,"4 as he maintains.


  • A scanned copy of President Bush's request to be transferred to an inactive postal Reserve unit in Alabama (he requested the transfer to work on a U.S. Senate campaign) can be viewed here: http://users.cis.net/coldfeet/doc7.gif


  • A scanned copy of the denial of Bush's transfer order can be viewed here: http://users.cis.net/coldfeet/doc5.gif


  • A scanned copy of the memo confirming Bush's suspension from the Air National guard for "failure to accomplish annual medical examination can be viewed here: http://users.cis.net/coldfeet/grounded.gif


  • The full analysis can be viewed here: http://democrats.com/display.cfm?id=154


Sources:
  1. "New Hampshire Democratic Debate," 1/22/04.
  2. Ibid.
  3. "REPUBLICAN TICKET LETS A MILITARY CONNECTION SLIP," Boston Globe, 7/28/00, p. A1.
  4. "BUSH DEFENDS GUARD RECORD, DISPUTES REPORT OF MISSING DUTY," Boston Globe, 5/24/00, p. A8.




Cheney Cites Leaked Intelligence on Iraq-Al Qaeda



In an interview this month, Vice President Dick Cheney touted a report and leaked classified document that the Administration itself has billed "inaccurate" as the basis for his Iraq-Al Qaeda claims.

When questioned about his assertion of a Saddam-Al Qaeda connection, Cheney said, "you ought to go look [at] an article that Stephen Hayes did in the Weekly Standard here a few weeks ago, that goes through and lays out in some detail, based on an assessment that was done by the Department of Defense and forwarded to the Senate Intelligence Committee some weeks ago. That's your best source of information."1

But the article and document Cheney cites was discredited by the Administration as "inaccurate" two months ago, at the time it was published. The Administration also criticized the leak, saying, "Individuals who leak or purport to leak classified information are doing serious harm to national security; such activity is deplorable and may be illegal."2

The Defense Department is not the only agency objecting to the accuracy of the claim. Cheney raised the connection again yesterday, saying, "There's overwhelming evidence there was a connection between al Qaeda and the Iraqi government. I am very confident that there was an established relationship there."3 But Secretary of State Colin Powell disputed the idea two weeks ago, when he admitted, "I have not seen smoking-gun, concrete evidence about the connection."4

Today's Los Angeles Times reports that improved intelligence has revealed neither the Iraqis nor Al Qaeda trusted one another enough to establish a relationship. September 11th lead planner Khalid-Sheikh Muhammad, the highest ranking Al Qaeda official in custody, has revealed that Al Qaeda saw Iraq as a "corrupt, secular regime."5 Last week, the New York Times reported that documents indicated Saddam Hussein warned his followers to "be wary of joining forces with foreign Arab fighters entering Iraq."6

Sources:
  1. "Transcript of Interview with Vice President Dick Cheney," Rocky Mountain News, 1/9/04.
  2. "DOD STATEMENT ON NEWS REPORTS OF AL QAEDA AND IRAQ CONNECTIONS," DefenseLink, 11/15/03.
  3. "Cheney Is Adamant on Iraq 'Evidence'," Los Angeles Times, 1/23/04.
  4. "Powell Admits No Hard Proof In Linking Iraq to Al Qaeda," New York Times, 1/9/04, p. A10.
  5. "Cheney Is Adamant on Iraq 'Evidence'," Los Angeles Times, 1/23/04.
  6. "Hussein Warned Iraqis to Beware Outside Fighters, Document Says," New York Times, 01/14/04.



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