ABC News: “Speaking Out: Air National Guard Colonel Denies Bush Got Preferential Treatment”:
The man cited in media reports as having allegedly pressured others in the Texas Air National Guard to help George W. Bush is speaking out, telling ABC News in an exclusive interview that he never sought special treatment for Bush.
Retired Col. Walter [Buck] Staudt, who was brigadier general of Bush’s unit in Texas, interviewed Bush for the Guard position and retired in March 1972. He was mentioned in one of the memos allegedly written by Lt. Col. Jerry Killian as having pressured Killian to assist Bush, though Bush supposedly was not meeting Guard standards.
“I never pressured anybody about George Bush because I had no reason to,” Staudt told ABC News in his first interview since the documents were made public.
The memo stated that “Staudt is pushing to sugar coat” a review of Bush’s performance.
Staudt said he decided to come forward because he saw erroneous reports on television. CBS News first reported on the memos, which have come under scrutiny by document experts who question whether they are authentic. Killian, the purported author of the documents, died in 1984.
Staudt insisted Bush did not use connections to avoid being sent to Vietnam.
“He didn’t use political influence to get into the Air National Guard,” Staudt said, adding, “I don’t know how they would know that, because I was the one who did it and I was the one who was there and I didn’t talk to any of them.”
During his time in charge of the unit, Staudt decided whether to accept those who applied for pilot training. He recalled Bush as a standout candidate.
“He was highly qualified,” he said. “He passed all the scrutiny and tests he was given.”
Staudt said he never tried to influence Killian or other Guardsmen, and added that he never came under any pressure himself to accept Bush. “No one called me about taking George Bush into the Air National Guard,” he said. “It was my decision. I swore him in. I never heard anything from anybody.”
Sure. That’s what he says. But c’mon!—he’s no anti-Bush secretary. No, I’m gonna have to defer to Rather on this one…
via Allah.
In all seriousness, I buy the liberal media stigma. Mainly because I have two eyes and two ears. Is anyone taking the angle on this that maybe ABC is trying to make a power play on all the viewers that are leaving CBS in droves? And to do this, they’re doing legitimate journalism- SUCKERS!!
Rather is toast.
Umm, OT, but why does the chick in the alternatee.com ad have a shirt that says “My dick would make a better president”?
I mean, ew
Modern progressivism is in large part a product of academic orthodoxies that have ossified and entrenched themselves in the academy over the of the last 30 or so year. I’m sure that poor woman believes the penis is merely a social construct.
Geeze, some people will do anything for money..
The t-shirt reads “My dick would make a better vice president.” The “dick” in question, I would venture is Mr. Cheney.
As opposed to the Donk’s, er, uh, dick competitor Mr. Edwards.
Or maybe the chick’s unit would make a better vice president.
or maybe she has a son named richard for whom she has high expectations.
Or she’s with StrapOn.org.
Chick’s unit? Who says that?
Lorenzo, now that was funny.
Could there be a better name for a Colonel? I mean, “Col. Buck Staudt” is like something out of MASH.