SwiftVets.com

[dcornutt]

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/Politics/Vote2004/staudt_bush_040917-1.html

[Steve Z]

Very interesting article--Col. Walter Staudt, referred to in one of the forged "Killian" memos comes out in favor of Bush. Interesting quotes by Staudt:

"I never pressured anybody about George Bush because I had no reason to"

"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."

"He was highly qualified...He passed all the scrutiny and tests he was given."

"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."

"He [Bush] was a well-educated, bright-eyed young man, just the kind of guy we were looking for."

"He presented himself well. 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."

"There was no contact between me and George Bush … he certainly never asked for help," Staudt said. "He didn't need any help as far as I knew."

He [Staudt] added that after retiring he was not involved in Air National Guard affairs. "I didn't check in with anybody — I had no reason to," he said. "I was busy with my civilian endeavors, and they were busy with their military options. I had no reason to talk to them, and I didn't."

(end of quotes)

Staudt says that no one ever approached him about getting George W. Bush into the National Guard, but he accepted Bush due to his qualifications. (Contradicts Rather's claims about favoritism)

Staudt also says that no one contacted him after his retirement--this contradicts forged "Killian" CYA memo about contacting Staudt in 1973.

Question for Dan Rather: why is he believing forged memos trying to put words into a dead man's mouth, when the brigadier general of Bush's unit flatly contradicts these claims today?

This interview is on ABC News--not exactly part of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy. I wonder if Sean Hannity could get an interview with Staudt?
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The traitor will crater!

[ccr]

The significance of this story: It puts the lie to Dan Rather's assertion that no one has disputed the "substance" of his story.
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[CandiM]

Funny that Rather couldn't have found out what Staudt had to say about all this before he ran his fantasy.......er......I mean story--

OTOH, considering that they dismissed what Killian's wife and son and the legitimate document experts had to stay, there's not much reason to believe that they would have listened to Staudt, either--After all, he's not an 86 year-old partisan retired secretary--C
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“I haven’t seen anyone milk this much out of a bad boat ride since Gilligan” -- Dennis Miller

[Stevie]

All Dan has is that little old lady... who Killian's son says was a 'pool secretary' ; Big difference from just Killian's secretary....
_________________
Stevie
Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage
morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should
be arrested, exiled or hanged.

[CandiM]

[P. Aaron]

Thank goodness the media finally have competition.
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A willing tool of the "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy" since 1981.

[RobD]

I'm sure that Rather will say(if he even acknowledges Staudt) that Staudt took to long to come forward and he is a Bush supporter so he is not credible.
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6 Year Navy

[Hammer2]

Dan's story reminds me of what one of my real estate investor friends said about a property he had just looked at: "Except for the roof, four walls and the foundation, it's in pretty good shape"
_________________
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilence" - Thomas Jefferson
"An armed society is a polite society" - Thomas Jefferson
"The beauty of the Second Amendment is that it won't be needed until someone tries to take it away." -- Thomas Jefferson

[azpatriot]

[The Balloon Artist]

[Se7eN]

Sadly, all the DNC talking heads need to see is:

[rhv5862]

I wonder how many of the MSM will report this. Let me guess "0".
Rather felt this information would damage Bush so badly he did not care if it was true or not. I was giving him the benefit of the doubt that he was had. Now I wonder did he know it was a fraud?

RHV

[napnip]

[rhv5862]

And Rather says (para phrased) If this story is a fraud he wants to break the story. RIGHT!!! How much more does he have to see what the rest of us know. Dan it is a fraud.

RHV