George Bush: Draft Dodger

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George Bush: Draft Dodger

Donald — 8/29/2004 5:59:13 PM (archived)

Texas politician says he pulled strings to get Bush into Guard

BOBBY ROSS JR. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DALLAS -- Former Texas House Speaker Ben Barnes said he is "more ashamed at myself than I've ever been" because he helped President Bush and the sons of other wealthy families get into the Texas National Guard so they could avoid serving in Vietnam.

"I got a young man named George W. Bush into the National Guard ... and I'm not necessarily proud of that, but I did it," Barnes, a Democrat, said in a video clip recorded May 27 before a group of John Kerry supporters in Austin.

Barnes, who was House speaker when Bush entered the Guard, later became lieutenant governor.

The video was posted June 25 on the Web site www.austin4kerry.org, but didn't get much attention until Friday, when Jim Moore, an Austin-based author of books critical of Bush, sent out e-mails calling attention to it just days before the GOP National Convention starts in New York.

Bush joined the Guard in 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War, and served until 1973. He has said he received no special treatment.

Barnes said in a brief interview Saturday that the video "just speaks for itself."

The whole thread (38 posts)

A dishonorable diversion from important issues - Donald - 8/29/2004 2:14:45 PM
- re: you democrats can't make the Swift-boat Vets - Bush Connection because you've yet to tie Halliburton to the Swiftvets. - Scott Evil - 8/30/2004 1:59:49 PM
- Oh, I thought you were going to apologize for slandering the President. - ebnelson - 8/29/2004 11:14:22 PM
  - I guess you haven't heard yet either - E.P. Grondine - 8/30/2004 2:39:42 AM
    - re: So this Democrat was a war profiteer. getting the sons of the opressed killed, and now he is the left's hero? - Scott Evil - 8/30/2004 2:15:14 PM
      - Ah so that's the way to spin it, simply mistate it repeatedly... - E.P. Grondine - 8/30/2004 3:48:36 PM
        
        re: Bush and his pets have been using lies to win from the earily days...Evil should know this if he really knows McCain. (n/t) - Chris Vancil - 8/30/2004 8:19:39 PM
- re: A dishonorable diversion from important issues - Tom Brosz - 8/29/2004 9:49:27 PM
  - Looks like you haven't heard either... - E.P. Grondine - 8/30/2004 3:05:41 AM
- Meanwhile: Bush admits Kerry "more heroic" than he - Donald - 8/29/2004 2:20:32 PM
  - George Bush: Draft Dodger - Donald - 8/29/2004 5:59:13 PM
    - Draft dodger, then deserter, then AWOL? - ebnelson - 8/30/2004 2:13:16 PM
    - Well at least we can all agree that Draft Dodgers are scum of the Earth. - Scott Evil - 8/30/2004 2:03:08 PM
      - re: So you don't like Bush, Cheney, Ashcroft, and Wolfowitz because they were Vietnam Dodgers? (n/t) - Chris Vancil - 8/30/2004 8:35:05 PM
    - Oh, we all know how eager Democrats were to help the sons of Republicans - Larry J - 8/30/2004 1:55:58 PM
    - Serving in the Guard is not quite the same thing as running to Canada. - RobVG - 8/29/2004 11:04:57 PM
      - Oh, I agree! - Davin L. - 8/30/2004 6:04:20 AM
        
        Well, if you put it that way. - RobVG - 8/31/2004 3:54:26 AM
      - I guess you haven't heard yet - E.P. Grondine - 8/30/2004 1:37:38 AM
        
        So we've "stopped asking questions" about the war. Pardon me. (n/t) - RobVG - 8/30/2004 1:56:03 AM
        
        Guess you haven't heard about that either. Sorry - E.P. Grondine - 8/30/2004 2:10:02 AM
        
        Maybe we occupied the wrong country. - RobVG - 8/30/2004 2:55:08 AM
    - Dems abandon their heritage - McFly - 8/29/2004 10:38:35 PM
      - re: Dems abandon their heritage - Chris Vancil - 8/30/2004 8:41:42 PM
        
        re: Dems abandon their heritage - McFly - 8/31/2004 3:10:14 AM
        
        re: McFly, I apologize. That was uncalled for. (n/t) - Chris Vancil - 8/31/2004 6:31:28 AM
    - Nobody has ever answered a very simple question: - Tom Brosz - 8/29/2004 9:53:14 PM
      - Do you realize how incredibly desperate you have become in trying to defend your guy? - R.L. - 8/29/2004 10:43:49 PM
        
        Plenty of National Guards got posted in Vietnam. The disrespect of the dems towards the Guard is one reason Kerry will lose. - ebnelson - 8/30/2004 2:19:58 PM
        
        re: Our point exactly! Bush claims to have wanted to volunteer for a war he supported and instead hung out in Alabama. We respect the Guard. Just not these one guardsmen! (n/t) - Chris Vancil - 8/30/2004 9:53:19 PM
        
        Bush went to Alabama in 1972 - Larry J - 8/31/2004 4:50:09 PM
        
        re: Do you realize how incredibly desperate you have become in trying to defend your guy? - Tom Brosz - 8/29/2004 11:16:32 PM
    - this story gets even better: the payoff - E.P. Grondine - 8/29/2004 8:30:09 PM
      - the timing - E.P. Grondine - 8/29/2004 8:42:29 PM
        
        It was posted on the web june 25th (n/t) - R.L. - 8/29/2004 10:47:33 PM
        
        and apparently seen by a good number of UK viewers last year - E.P. Grondine - 8/30/2004 1:11:42 AM
        
        I guess "timing" is only a dirty trick when Republicans do it. (n/t) - Tom Brosz - 8/29/2004 9:51:25 PM
        
        Going to be interesting to see how Rush handles this one - E.P. Grondine - 8/30/2004 1:33:23 AM

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