Hoaxes Propped Up CBS's Fraudulent Memos-- Commentary:

Dan Rather's CBS' 60 Minutes Hit Piece on President Bush's ANG Record based on Left-Wing Media Hoaxes.

By Col. John H. Wambough, Jr. USAF (Ret.) October 22, 2004 - See Bush and Uncommon Valor www.nsar.us

(Permanent link to this column).

(Alternate Permanent link to this column)

Article: Series One

Leapfrogged Hundreds Hoax  and Political Influence/Favoritism Hoax

Since Left-Wing Media (LWM) has fabricated many hoaxes (concerning President Bush's Air National Guard service), it is not practical to address each of them in one article - so they will be presented to the American people in a series, starting with the “Leapfrogged Hundreds Hoax” and “Political Influence/Favoritism Hoax”.

LWM treachery, deception and distortion laid a solid foundation for Dan Rather's CBS' 60 Minutes fabricated story and fraudulent memos. Thousands of  communications misled the American people about GWB’s ANG record. As you read LWM hoaxes below, appreciate that they are nothing more than interwoven myths created (via repetition) by LWM, the DNC, Kerry's Campaign and Left-Wing 527s to help get a Left-Wing Liberal Democrat (John Kerry) elected President.

It would be incomprehensible for investigative journalists to get so much wrong without malicious intent to deceive the American people. How is it possible that LWM investigative journalists didn't inform the American people that there was "no waiting list" to get into the TANG (147th Fighter Interceptor Group [FIG]) as a pilot in May 1968? How is it possible that the American people weren't informed that F-102 pilots (from GWB’s unit) were flying combat missions in Vietnam at the very time GWB applied for pilot duty? As you review the LWM hoaxes below, you should appreciate that Dan Rather's CBS' 60 Minutes was just the tip of iceberg of the fraud that has misled the American people in an effort to defeat a sitting President of the United States . As you read, make a list of the hoaxes that you "unwittingly" accepted as truth. I accepted some of them at face value myself; for example, the very first hoax. 

"Leapfrogged Hundreds Hoax" Left-Wing Media (LWM) asserts that GWB was leapfrogged over hundreds of Texas Air National Guard (TANG) applicants to protect him from the draft and avoid Vietnam . There is no truth to this assertion; there was “no waiting list” for “qualified pilot applicants” in May 1968 when GWB applied to the TANG (147th Fighter Interceptor Group [FIG]). In mid 1968, the 147^th FIG (the unit GWB signed up with) was under manned by 156 military personnel (130 enlisted and 26 officer positions). Pilots, on occasion, had to be recruited outside Texas to fill vacant pilot positions. A coveted pilot slot in the ANG in 1968 was a LWM myth.

Can it be validated that there was "no waiting list for qualified pilot applicants in May 1968" when GWB applied for the TANG? Yes it can. Four separate entities can confirm no waiting list: First, the pilots that were flying in the 147th TIG (111th TIS) in May 1968; Second, the ANG senior officers that were in the 147th TIG in May 1968; Third, the Director of Operations for the TANG (when GWB was in the ANG) Colonel Earl Lively says: there was no waiting list for qualified pilot applicants to get in the TANG as a pilot in 1968; and Fourth, the TANG history indicates no waiting list for qualified pilot applicants in May 1968. Even later, when there were waiting lists, practically all applicants were applying for ANG enlisted positions and not for officer pilot training.

Kerry's strategy was to malign President Bush’s military service and undermine the peoples’ trust in GWB as Commander-In-Chief.  At the same time, this strategy called for promoting Kerry as a war hero. Kerry's strategy was calculated to offset his anti-war activities and his extreme anti-national security voting record. So who  promoted/fabricated the Leapfrogged Hundreds Hoax? Answer: LWM, the DNC, Terry McAuliffe, the Kerry Campaign, Left-Wing 527 Groups and Left-Wing supporters. 

The progressive hoax doesn’t stop here. The hoaxers further duped the American people into believing that not only had GWB used political influence to leapfrog hundreds of ANG applicants but that he did so to avoid going to Vietnam ; therefore, GWB was a coward. Also, the "Leapfrogging Hundreds Hoax" gave credence to   charges of political influence and favoritism  which propped up Dan Rather's CBS' 60 Minute fabricated story and fraudulent memos and the Ben Barnes' fabricated story of political influence. Note: Colonel William Campenni (retired), U.S. Air Force/Air National Guard served in the same fighter squadron as GWB. See his articles: "Bush and I were Lieutenants" and "Answering Kerry's Questions" Also, see my article: Bush and Uncommon Valor 


"Political Influence/Favoritism Hoax" Left-Wing Media (LWM) asserts that political influence, family intervention, favoritism and special treatment were used to get  GWB into the ANG. There assertion is false. See LWM’s "Leapfrogged Hundreds Hoax” The truth is GWB got into the Guard based on his own merit. 

President George Herbert Walker Bush stated publicly that the Bush family played no part, whatsoever, in getting GWB in the ANG. President George W. Bush stated publicly that he had no help from anyone in getting into the Guard. For arguments sake, let's disregard what both Presidents said on this issue. 

A serendipity benefit of the CBS 60 Minutes fraudulent memo scandal was that the public got to hear directly from retired ANG senior officers about GWB's ANG service (unfiltered by LWM). What these officers had to say was quite different from what LWM had been telling the American people. Retired Colonel  Walter B. "Buck" Staudt (who conducted the interview that resulted in GWB being selected by the ANG) stated in an ABC Special Interview that: "He recalled Bush as a standout candidate"; “No one called me about taking George Bush into the Air National Guard. It was my decision. I swore him in. I never heard anything from anybody.”; “He didn’t use political influence to get into the Air National Guard”; “He was highly qualified. He passed all the scrutiny and tests he was given” “He was a well-educated, bright-eyed young man, just the kind of guy we were looking for." "He presented himself well. He more than met the requirements for pilot training. I’d say he was in the upper 10 percent or 5 percent or whatever we ever talked to about going to pilot training. We were pretty particular because when he came back (from training); we had to fly with him.”

Any investigative journalist (searching for the truth on how GWB was selected for the ANG) would have asked themselves simple logical questions.  First, why wouldn't the ANG want GWB? Bush was a Yale graduate and potentially a great asset to the Guard. Second, why wouldn't the Guard select a young man who had already met stringent educational, security clearance and physical requirements for pilot training and held the attributes Staudt stated in the ABC Special Interview? (These attributes were well known by many people). Third, there was “no waiting list” for “qualified pilot applicants” in May 1968 (when GWB applied for pilot training) so why would political influence be needed? Fourth, GWB's pilot instructor in the F-102 (Major Maurice Udell) pegged GWB in the top 5 percent of pilots he instructed; GWB was known to be a top notch fighter pilot by the pilots that flew with him and knew him. Given due consideration to the above considerations and positive information about the flying skills of GWB, a fair minded journalist would have concluded that the ANG made the right decision when they selected GWB for a pilot training.

Journalists, having done their homework, would have known that GWB got into the Guard based on his own merit. Their problem was that this wasn't the story LWM wanted told, so LWM fabricated a different story: one of political influence, family influence and favoritism and sold that story to the American people. They perpetrated a hoax on the American people every bit as malicious as the fabricated story and fraudulent memos used in Dan Rather's CBS' 60 Minute hit piece.

President Bush is the 19th President of the United States to have served in the National Guard. Colonel Staudt’s 36 year-old decision to select GWB for pilot training (based on his assessment of GWB's character and qualifications) has stood the test of time. The ANG got it right!  LWM got it wrong! LWM's "Political Influence / Favoritism Hoax" propped up Dan Rather's CBS' 60 Minute fabricated story and fraudulent memos and the Ben Barnes' story.

Note: Should LWM want to use Ben Barnes to defend their accusation of political influence, remind them that Ben Barnes swore under oath he had nothing to do with getting GWB in the Guard and that Barnes' daughter (Amy) stated her father told her (during the 2000 election) that he had nothing to do with getting Bush into the Guard. Also, remind LWM that Ben Barnes is a big fund raiser ($100,000) and supporter of John Kerry and may have a job should Kerry be elected President. This is the “reliable source” Dan Rather used to attack President Bush and help validate the content of CBS’ fraudulent memos. Ben Barnes is the type of “reliable source” LWM goes to when they want to attack the President. He is the "reliable source" that now swears that he got GWB leapfrogged over hundreds of ANG applicants even though there was “no waiting list” for “qualified pilot applicants” in May 1968 when GWB applied to the TANG.  See LWM's "Leapfrogged Hundreds Hoax" above. 
 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The President of the United States and Commander-In-Chief of our Armed Forces served honorably in the ANG. See my article Bush and Uncommon Valor and retired Colonel William Campenni's article “Lt Bush and I were lieutenants."  The LWM hoaxes covered above are just a small sampling of what LWM has done to assassinate the character of GWB for the purpose of getting a Left-Wing Liberal Democrat elected President.  Articles written about the President's service in the Guard are seldom written from a politically neutral perspective. When LWM goes back 30 plus years to "explore" GWB's ANG record, they are on a search and destroy mission. They are not looking to find the good. They are looking for the bad. When they they don't find bad, then they speculate, conjure up, fabricate and manufacture the bad. LWM uses fraud and deception each time they attack GWB's ANG service. The American people have been duped by LWM.
 

John Wambough is a retired Air Force colonel with 28 years of service. During his career in the Air Force, Colonel Wambough flew F-105 and F-111 tactical fighter aircraft. His combat tour in Southeast Asia was in the F-105s with the 34th Tactical Fighter Squadron. Also, he served in Current Operations at 7th Air Force Headquarters, TanSon Nhut Air Base, RVN. He was a Fighter Squadron Commander (F - 111E aircraft, 55 TFS, Royal Air Force, Upper Heyford, United Kingdom) and later Group Commander at the same base. He served on the Air Staff and Joint Staff in the Pentagon -- and attended the National War College. He was head of the Joint Studies Group at Tactical Command Headquarters, Langley AFB, Virginia and completed his service in the Air Force as Commander of the 4442nd Tactical Control Group and Commandant of the United States Air Force Air Ground Operations School, Hurlburt Field, Florida. He retired in March 1990 - having served 28 years in the Air Force. Contact info: j-bwambough@cox.net  Visit Site: www.nsar.us

(Published by PoliSat.Com by permission of author.)

Donate your frequent-flier miles to military personnel to return home from port of reentry on leave:  www.HeroMiles.Org.

·support our troops, support Bush, support Cheney, support victory in Iraq, support victory in Afghanistan,  Clinton Liebrary, http://PoliSat.Com , PoliSatDOTcom, Salute America's Heroes, Fallen Heroes Fund, oppose Gore's Global Warming theory, support milblogs, Michael Yon, Pat Dollard, BlackFive, MilBlogs, MilBlogging, Michael Yon, Mudville Gazette, HotAir.Com, JawaReport, PajamasMedia , VictoryCaucus , VetsForFreedom , FreedomsWatch , DayByDayCartoon , WrennCom.Com , Video , Political Satire, Politics, News, oppose MoveOn.Org, oppose Code Pink, oppose DailyKos, oppose ANSWER, support PoliSat.Com, support WrennCom.Com, ·

First Things First:  Salute America's Heroes · Fallen Heroes Fund · Frequent-Flyer-Miles for Troops · Thanks to Troops · Military News ··  MilBlogs ·   Home · Posts:  Current /Recent · Videos/Toons/Songs:  Latest · Embed-Codes · Text Index · Images Index · Archives:  Old · New · About · Contact · Syndication · Affiliates · News  Sources/Papers/Magazines   Pundits  Blogs   ThinkTanks   What is "property"?   Pantheopians   Global Climate   Asteroids/Comets Hitting Earth--Risks/Predictions    Science   GlobalWeb

Other sites that feature PoliSat.Com's Political Satire/Commentary-- Click here to view our Affiliates page.