Category: Politics

CYA or self-incrimination

The memos supposedly revealing 1st Lt. Bush was AWOL and a bad soldier written by Lt. Col. Killian were addressed “To file”, meaning they weren’t actually sent to anyone, just filed in Lt. Col Killian’s personal file. One of the memos dated 18 aug 1973 is titled “CYA” (link is to Powerline). It documents how (then retired) General Staudt pressuring the Lt. Col. to “sugarcoat” a review for 1st. Lt. Bush.

So let’s get this straight. A retired General no longer affiliated with the National Guard (yes, that is redundant) is pressuring a commanding officer to falsify a report about a 1st Lt. That commanding officer is so concerned about the ethics of the situation, he agrees to accomodate the retired General then creates evidence his report was false by documenting he backdated the report and omitted a rating in lieu of giving a presumably bad rating. The Lt. Col. then calls that “CYA” (cover your ass).

Instead of filing a memo to self, a commanding officer would include justification for not giving a rating in the report itself. The reasoning for writing the memo doesn’t follow. The implied logic is that if ever asked about the report, the Lt. Col. could claim “I filed a false report but I was pressured to do it.” That excuse would not relieve him of the responsibility of making a false report. The memo would only prove he did so knowingly.

Was he a fool or is the memo a forgery?

Crash!

If you read my last entry, you’ve been waiting for the crash.

It happened thanks to ABC News laying out the evidence that the memos revealed by CBS were forged. Not good news for Kerry. The article’s conclusion sums it up:

Many Democrats are worried that if they are found to be forgeries, it will be a setback for Sen. John Kerry’s campaign to defeat Bush in November.

Its hard to come away from reading the article and not believe that articles were forgeries.

Uh oh!

As a child I remember the feeling of waiting to see if the dumb move I made would end in disaster. Like playing with your friend with a ball and bat. Your buddy tossed the ball and you hit it dead-on with the bat. There was that moment where you heard a satisfying crack. Then you and your buddy watch the ball arching toward the neighbor’s window.

For a seemingly timeless moment your gut twists up and you say “uh oh”. To your side you see your buddy’s dumbfounded look as you both wait to see if the ball will crash through the window or somehow hit the ground before it without doing any damage.

Today the big news is that newly found documents indicate President Bush was AWOL and disobeyed orders while in the National Guard. That is the satisfying “crack” of the bat the Democrats felt.

Then later in the day, serious questions have been raised about the authenticity of the documents. Supposedly they came from the personal files of Mr. Bush’s former commanding officer (why did the officer keep personnel files in his personal files?). That officer is now dead but his son believes the documents may be fake. Some typographists believe the documents are likely fake as well.

Uh oh.

Somewhere a Democrat oppretive and his buddy are staring at each other with a dumbfounded looks on their faces hoping this doesn’t end in disaster.

If the documents are real, President Bush will take a hit in the polls and keep on rolling.

If they are fakes, CBS has egg on its face for not checking its facts before releasing the documents and revealing their biases. Some Democrats will be exposed (think Watergate, but worse) and President Bush will become bullet proof from any further accusations.

Kerry: begging to be unfit

In a midnight stealth speech this past Thursday, John Kerry whined that Vice President Cheney called him unfit for service.

One problem with Kerry’s claim. Vice President Cheney didn’t call John Kerry unfit for service. Cheney did question his senate voting record. Now if Kerry thinks that criticism of his voting record means he is unfit for service, it makes me wonder if it isn’t true after all.

Sort of like when someone says, “I’m hungry” and another person replies replies “I didn’t rob that restaurant,” it makes you wonder if he robbed the restaurant.

His proof that he is fit and the President is not? Kerry once again pointed to his four months in Vietnam. After 20 years in the Senate, his main claim for fitness is a four month tour of duty that happened 35 years ago.

Kerry then responded to Cheney’s non-accusation by calling President Bush and Vice President Cheney “unfit for service”. Really.

So it is insulting to Kerry to be unfit for service when others don’t say he is, but alright for him to call his opponents unfit.

Why does this man so badly want his opponents to call him unpatriotic and unfit? There is something sad and desperate about that.

President Bush: Insensitive

President Bush expressed his concern for the residents of Florida who are in the pathe of hurricane Frances. He said:

“I’ve ordered teams to be in position to help the good people of that state”

The National Organization of Bad-people (NOOB) immediately condemned the remarks. NOOB Spokesbeing (the title Spokesperson is offensive to non-persons) Eustace Nutley issued the following statement:

Why do “good people” always receive assistance? Never bad people. I’m an ass and I demand respect! Bush is bad-person-phobic. We need a leader that will embrace his inner ass. NOOB demands an immediate congressional investigation into this adminstration’s anti-bad-person policies.

The ACLU immediately agreed to take up NOOB and Mr. Nutley’s cause. A lawsuit is expect to be filed right after the court house is rebuilt from the hurricane damage.