Ex-Honcho: I Got Bush Into Guard

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-07-2004
Ex-Honcho: I Got Bush Into Guard
65
Sat, 08-28-2004 - 12:52pm
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/09/politics/main628437.shtml

(CBS/AP) In a video posted on the Internet, former Texas Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes, a Democrat, says he is ashamed that he helped President Bush and the sons of other wealthy families get into the Texas Air National Guard in 1968 so they could avoid serving in Vietnam.

"I got a young man named George W. Bush into the National Guard when I was lieutenant governor of Texas, and I'm not necessarily proud of that, but I did it," Barnes said in the 45-second video, which was recorded May 27 at a meeting of John Kerry supporters in Austin.

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

He said he became ashamed after walking through the Vietnam Memorial and looking at the names of people who died.

"I became more ashamed of myself than I've ever been because the worst thing I did was get a lot of wealthy supporters and a lot of people who had family names of importance into the Guard and I'm very sorry about that and I apologize to you and the voters of Texas," Barnes said.

President Bush has denied that family influence got him into the Guard.

"With controversy swirling around Kerry's service as a swift boat commander in Vietnam, Barnes' latest statements renew questions about (Mr.) Bush's military record, but also about Barnes' motivation for telling his story," the Houston Chronicle says in its Saturday editions.

"It is no surprise that a partisan Democrat is making these statements," Bush spokeswoman Claire Buchan told the Chronicle. "This was addressed five years ago, and there's nothing new."

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 about Mr. Bush, sent out e-mail messages calling attention to it, The New York Times reported in its Saturday editions.

It was the first time Barnes, a Kerry supporter, has discussed at length his role in getting Mr. Bush into the Guard. In 1999, he said he recommended Mr. Bush for a pilot's position at the request of a Bush family friend.

"I got a lot of other people in the National Guard because I thought that's what people should do when you're in office: You help a lot of rich people," Barnes said.


© MMIV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-21-2004
Sun, 08-29-2004 - 5:27pm

<<If he were a veteran of actual combat, he would not have said "Bring em on" because he would know that our men would die because of his careless words. >.


I agree, I thought that was just so arrogant. It made me want to throw up. He values those human lives only as pawns for his war games. It is very sad.

Donna

Donna
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-04-2003
Sun, 08-29-2004 - 7:33pm
<>

I suppose that taking his word for it would be alaong the same lines as believing the Swift Boat claims againt Kerry's service and his medals when all documented evidence from that time states the contrary.

It's alright (if not prudent) to be skeptical but that goes both ways.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-31-2003
Sun, 08-29-2004 - 8:31pm
Honestly, medals have no bearing on this election. He was awarded them, end of story as far as I'm concerned.

So, I guess that we are to simply take this man at his word then? Ok, but I think that I won't. He may or may have not helped, I can let my bias decide for me, or I can file it in the 'no supporting evidence' pile, I'll take the latter.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-23-2004
Sun, 08-29-2004 - 11:08pm


I will have to respectfully disagree that it's a known fact, but even if it were true, that doesn't mean that Bush was any less qualified an any person he got in ahead of-and if you think this sort of thing only happens among the Bush family, you are naive. I'm not saying it's right, I'm saying it was commonplace, it was not illegal, I'm not sure I wouldn't have done the same thing if it were my son, and in any case he served his country, unlike some who chose not to serve at all (I hate to say like President Clinton, because once again I don't see that as an issue at all, but there it is). Bush may have, like thousands of other young men, used some family influence to get into the Guard. That doesn't make him a draft dodger, and it doesn't mean his service was worthless.

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-23-2004
Sun, 08-29-2004 - 11:13pm


I see the honor of a man who served his country, in whatever capacity he served it. I don't see a war hero, but then again Bush has never claimed to be a war hero. Guess that's the difference between he and Kerry-Kerry made a huge deal out of his four months of Vietnam service, and IMO left himself open to the questioning of it, particularly since he so vocally repudiated that service and his country afterwards. As I've said before, I don't like questioning the service of anyone who volunteered to serve our country, but if Kerry wants to base his candidacy on those four months, he has no choice but to accept the scrutiny.

Avatar for independentgrrrl
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Sun, 08-29-2004 - 11:17pm
According to today's New York Times, disgraced Democrat politician Ben Barnes is once again claiming that he assisted a young George W. Bush in obtaining a slot in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam war. According to the story,

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.


Curiously, the story omits a key portion of the Barnes quote, possibly because it demonstrates a glaring inconsistency in Barnes' story. A video of Barnes' speech shows the full quote as follows, the omitted portion in bold:


I got a young man named George W. Bush into the National Guard when I was Lieutenant Governor of Texas and I'm not necessarily proud of that, but I did it.

The problem with Barnes' story: Bush entered the Texas Air National Guard in 1968 at which time Barnes was Speaker of the House. Barnes did not take office as Lieutenant Governor until 1969 and thus could not have done what he claimed. Some readers may best remember Barnes as a central unindicted co-conspirator in the Sharpstown Stock Scandal that rocked the Texas legislature in 1971.

http://www.chronicallybiased.com/


iVillage Member
Registered: 08-21-2004
Sun, 08-29-2004 - 11:20pm
It does mean he served less than honorable, and had no compunctions or reservations about taking someone else's rightful place in the guard, and instead letting them go off in his place to be killed in Vietnam....was his family the only one guilty of this horrid behavior...of course not. But, should a man with such a tainted past be allowed to serve as the President of the United States...personally, I think not. Couple in his known addiction to cocaine and booze, his two DUI convictions and a few hushed up episodes of spousal abuse, and the man is unfit for office.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-21-2004
Sun, 08-29-2004 - 11:23pm
You want scrutiny...the records support Kerry's position. Secondly, if you bother reading the VERY BEGINNING of Kerry's testimony to the sub-committee on the Vietnam War, you will see that he states he is NOT THERE AS JOHN KERRY, but as the voice of over 1,000 vets who had shared their stories of their time in Vietnam. If you want to take a position, at least take the time to do proper research so that you can intelligently and accurately discuss the facts, instead of relying on heresay postured up on FOX.
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-17-2004
Mon, 08-30-2004 - 12:40am

Let's see now, despite there being a waiting list for non-flying positions,

Renee ~~~

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-07-2004
Mon, 08-30-2004 - 7:26am
If Barnes wasn't in a position to get Bush into the guard at that time, (and at this point I'm not sure either way) then the newspaper that printed his statement is at fault for not questioning him thoroughly first.

Maybe we can all agree the news media isn't doing their job these days. One thing we can do is write to our local papers whenever they do something like this & scold them.

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