RogerRabbit
Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined: 05 Sep 2004
Posts: 748
Location: Oregon
|
 Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2004 11:24 pm Post subject: General Staudt Speaks Some More |
 |
|
From Powerline.com
| Quote: | General Staudt Speaks Some More
Reader T. Hayes pointed us to this interview with General "Buck" Staudt in Staudt's home town newspaper, the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung. It doesn't add any new revelations to what Staudt told ABC News, but you do get some sense of the retired general's personality.
A few quotes:
"The subject started when [Bush’s] daddy ran for vice president, and it’s been going on ever since. I don’t have much to tell. It’s simple to me. There was no political influence. That’s the truth.
"He was a good candidate, well educated. We needed pilots, and he wanted to be one."
Sitting in his office, surrounded by pictures and paintings of fighter planes, Staudt’s military reserve softened as he remembered his first encounter with the young, prospective guardsman.
"I asked him why he wanted to be a pilot, and he said it was because his daddy was one. That’s a good reason."
Hey, call me biased, but I believe him. It is routinely reported as a fact that Bush got into the TANG because of political influence. But if that is true, Staudt is a liar. What, exactly, is the evidence that Staudt is not telling the truth? None whatsoever, as far as I know.
And, finally, this:
Staudt had no idea the young man he swore into the Guard would one day be commander in chief.
"[Bush] was just another second lieutenant fighter pilot," he said. "You never know where people will end up."
After Staudt retired in early 1972, he did not have any more contact with Bush, but he has watched him closely since 2001.
"I think he’s done a real good job [as president]. I’m proud of him. I guess I’m prejudiced, I don’t know," he said.
Staudt is looking forward to some peace now that CBS and Rather have admitted they cannot prove the memos’ authenticity. Although relieved, Staudt said he was surprised they finally decided to be honest. He never thought they would be.
Well, actually, they still aren't being entirely honest. One aspect of Rathergate that has mostly been overlooked is 60 Minutes' casual trashing of General Staudt's reputation. Rather and his colleagues portrayed Staudt as a politically-influenced conniver who pressured lower-ranking officers to "sugarcoat" their evaluations of a supposedly inept pilot--which, given that Lt. Bush was flying jet fighters, could have had fatal implications had the story been true. And they never even called Staudt, a retired Brigadier General, to ask him whether the charges they were about to level against him were true.
Posted by Hindrocket at 05:56 PM | Permalink | TrackBack (1) |
_________________
"Si vis pacem, para bellum" |
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
