8.29.2004
Bush Record Recounted
The AP finally ran a story recounting the following allegations leveled at George W. Bush's checkered past:
"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.
Apparently the story took so long to break because the "liberal media" had somehow failed to notice it.
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.
Of course, while Mr. Barnes' accusations may not be easily proven, we'll have to assume they're true, like the Swift Boat Veterans accounts. Further news coming out of the San Francisco Gate compares the non-war activites of the candidates:
Kerry's private-sector experience was relatively brief but consisted almost entirely of accomplishments.
[followed by extensive list of Kerry's business dealings]
As for Bush, his business background is a bit spottier.
[Bush's accomplishments follow]
By mid-1990, [Bush] decided to dump almost two-thirds of his Harken stock, reaping $848,000. Not long after, Harken reported a $23 million quarterly loss and the company's shares fell by more than 20 percent.
Asked later if his stock sale had been related to the company's impending setback, Bush replied, "I absolutely had no idea and would not have sold it had I known."
SEC records show that Harken's president had warned board members two months before Bush's sell-off that the company had liquidity problems that would "drastically affect" operations.
Bush failed to report his stock sale for 34 weeks, just as he had missed filing deadlines for several other transactions, according to the SEC.
Not really as much a comparison as a contrast. None of the Bush stuff is "news" to those who have read Michael Moore's books or any of the many publications critical of the Shrub's life. Kerry's profile was news to me and makes me realize even more that he's just a hard worker. I always assumed he'd just jumped into politics, but he obviously has many passions and I admire that in a person; so long as all their "passions" aren't related to making money.
"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.
Apparently the story took so long to break because the "liberal media" had somehow failed to notice it.
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.
Of course, while Mr. Barnes' accusations may not be easily proven, we'll have to assume they're true, like the Swift Boat Veterans accounts. Further news coming out of the San Francisco Gate compares the non-war activites of the candidates:
Kerry's private-sector experience was relatively brief but consisted almost entirely of accomplishments.
[followed by extensive list of Kerry's business dealings]
As for Bush, his business background is a bit spottier.
[Bush's accomplishments follow]
By mid-1990, [Bush] decided to dump almost two-thirds of his Harken stock, reaping $848,000. Not long after, Harken reported a $23 million quarterly loss and the company's shares fell by more than 20 percent.
Asked later if his stock sale had been related to the company's impending setback, Bush replied, "I absolutely had no idea and would not have sold it had I known."
SEC records show that Harken's president had warned board members two months before Bush's sell-off that the company had liquidity problems that would "drastically affect" operations.
Bush failed to report his stock sale for 34 weeks, just as he had missed filing deadlines for several other transactions, according to the SEC.
Not really as much a comparison as a contrast. None of the Bush stuff is "news" to those who have read Michael Moore's books or any of the many publications critical of the Shrub's life. Kerry's profile was news to me and makes me realize even more that he's just a hard worker. I always assumed he'd just jumped into politics, but he obviously has many passions and I admire that in a person; so long as all their "passions" aren't related to making money.
