As PBS contemplated the role John McCain's military heroism might play in the 2008 campaign just before 9 pm Eastern time, liberal PBS pundit Mark Shields noted that a military record hasn't been an electoral advantage since the end of the Cold War, but he swatted at President Bush, joking he'd fought "the Battle of Amarillo in the Texas Air National Guard," but he also characterized that time as how Bush "avoided military service."
Shields played the role of modern historian: "So we had four elections in a row where the candidate who avoided military service won over the candidate who had gone to the field of combat. Clinton defeated Bush. Clinton defeated Dole..."
Then came the Bush-bashing; "In 2000, George W. Bush, who fought the Battle of Amarillo in the Texas Air National Guard, beat Al Gore, who’d actually gone to Vietnam, and beat John Kerry, wearer of the Silver Star in Vietnam."
Shields apparently didn’t think it was "military service" to serve in the National Guard. He could say Bush avoided combat in Vietnam, but he didn’t avoid military service. Shields also misleads the PBS viewer into assuming that Al Gore was a combat veteran, instead of a journalist with Stars and Stripes who stayed away from the front lines.
In 1999, Gore biographer Bill Turque (then with Newsweek, now a reporter for the Washington Post) highlighted the role of connections at the highest level -- Army Chief of Staff William Westmoreland -- played in Gore’s service in the military: "According to Gore's friend, the Harvard senior didn't know until several months later that his contact was Gen. William Westmoreland, Army chief of staff. He says he met twice that spring with the former commander of U.S. forces in South Vietnam to discuss Gore's options. Westmoreland guaranteed no cushy deals, according to Gore's friend, but left him with one sweeping assurance: ‘I believe he will be watched,’ the general said. ‘He will be cared for.’"
In 2004, the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth challenged John Kerry’s Silver Star account, suggesting he had faced only a single, fleeing, wounded Viet Cong teenager, and that his actions on February 28, 1969 were not the stuff deserving of medals.
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center
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Yes, Tim, I did a
September 4, 2008 - 21:30 ET by motherbeltYes, Tim, I did a double-take on the "avoided military service" and "actually went to Viet Nam" comments.
They are just shameless. They brazenly distort the truth, secure in the knowledge that they won't be challenged. At least not by anyone who matters to them.
I remember a speech in Boston...
September 4, 2008 - 21:42 ET by AmericanEnergistMark Shields was giving us an impromptu history lesson as keynote speaker when I was at a convention in the late 90's. His message was that, basically, the most optimistic candidate won the presidential election. He was clear and well spoken.
SInce that day, it seems that every time I see or hear of something that Mr. Shields has said, it has been on the negative or petty side. And 9 times out of ten, it was against a Republican or conservative.
He, too, is going to be another name on the headstone of the legacy media. Mr. Shields refuses to take his own advice and his shrinking audience will write his epitaph.
www.ArmchairEnergist...
Looks like President Bush is not going to be elected a 3rd term.
September 4, 2008 - 22:35 ET by JWFThe bashing will continue right up to the end.
I coulda swore that he could be called to Vietnam at anytime while he was in the National Guard.
I also coulda swore that there was a glut of military pilots at the time because the war was winding down. That is one of the reasons he was not called to Vietnam.
But that is just me, mr. history nonrevisionist.
Sort of
September 4, 2008 - 22:50 ET by Mr. BishopThe problem was that Bush was trained and qualified to fly jets that were no longer in service in the Active Air Force. As such, his unit was designated to defense of the United States only.
Yes, he could have been called up at any time for active duty. However, he was not. Units are called up based upon their requirement in a combat zone. For example, MI (Military Intelligence) National Guard units, or FA (Field Artillery) National Guard units are not called up for action in Iraq. For the most part, Trans units, MP units and few Infantry/Armor units are being called up for Iraq. As such, it's very feasible to understand that an Air National Guard unit utilizing discontinued hardware, will not be called up to active duty in Vietnam.
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If homosexuality is genetic, then it must be a birth defect. If it is a birth defect, then stem cell research might provide a cure.
Thank you sir.
September 4, 2008 - 23:46 ET by JWFThat clears things up a little better.
I have an unrelated afterthought when it comes to Bush military service. Not to step on your reply.
Doesn't President Bush now have 8 years experience as the top military man, Commander in Chief? Doesn't that now count too?
Yes
September 5, 2008 - 11:39 ET by Mr. BishopTechnically, no, but realistically -- yes. Even when you are Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, you are serving in the military already. The president, while it should be considered a military position, is not. It is actually one reason I was really pissed about Clinton. For a man who commands the troops, he should be held to the same standard of conduct as members of the military with regards to the UCMJ. This includes his mannerisms in his "private" life. As we well know, it was not UCMJ actionable because he was not in the military. However, it seems to me, that such a thing should change since they are the commander-in-chief.
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If homosexuality is genetic, then it must be a birth defect. If it is a birth defect, then stem cell research might provide a cure.
Military Bashing not new, but now a strategy
September 4, 2008 - 22:40 ET by exLibSomeone on CNN last night started this line of commentary.
He remarked that Gore had a more "admirable" record of military service and called Bush a draft dodger.
Also, David Brooks on the PBS thing said that the public wants to know that the canidate for President doesn't care about military service but wanted to know they developed "character" somewhere along the way. Of course he never mentioned how BClinton "Developed" character.
MARK "MAXI" SHIELDS
September 4, 2008 - 22:46 ET by danybhoyBe carefull Marky-Mark, this is the same road that left Dan Rather as roadkill. I know you are only on PBS, sucking off the taxpayers tit since your old gig at CNN went away, but you should be more carefull about stating what you believe, it may come back to bite you in the @$$.
BTW, I know that Mark & his lib media buddies loved to talk all about Dick Cheney's 5 deferments. Anyone here want bet that Joe Biden's 5 deferments are ever mentioned? Never mind that Cheney has had a long history of heart trouble & Biden was sited with asthma. Very selective MSM BS in my eyes.
"...it's still We The People, Right?" Megadeth
Al Gore had a handler to keep
September 4, 2008 - 23:24 ET by IamTinmanhim from danger, John Kerrys activities after the war deserve no ones respect, and Bill Clinton avoided the draft by running away to Europe. George Bush enlisted in the reserves just like John Kerry except Kerry drew the short straw. Tough Noogies. A lot of reserves got sent to Vietnam and a lot didn't come back.
Somebody get Shields another latte. He's been in Washington too long!
USSR and the Cold War
September 4, 2008 - 23:39 ET by RousseYeah, Shields is some historian all right. I love the way Democrats believe that Viet Nam was the only war going on. It takes nothing away from the war in southeast Asia to acknowledge that duty along the Iron Curtain was a cold, dangerous place to be. And typical of Democrats, they believe Gorby was responsible for its fall, instead of admitting it was Reagan's constant pressure on the communists.
What does this have to do with Bush? In addition to serving in Viet Nam, National Guard members from every state in the Union served to protect this county from possible threat. But hey, if you didn't go to Viet Nam, then you didn't serve.
I am so glad that Mark
September 5, 2008 - 00:03 ET by thebobboI am so glad that Mark Shields finally exposed this. I hang on every possible word that Mark Shields could possibly utter. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mark, for giving me more to consider. Please give me more. Now I can go to bed in peace knowing that this - whatever the hell it is - was finally uncovered and I can take it as the gospel for which it was intended.
Far be it from me to possibly suggest anything else you should look into, but I think I just heard something on tv about OJ Simpson's ex-wife being found dead, and also about some big blimp named the Hindenburg burning to the ground in New Jersey. You should probably jump on those right away. Scoop the competition, as it were.
Oh yeah, and rumor has it that Liberace might be gay. I'm just saying...when you you find time.
Biden and Obama
September 5, 2008 - 00:07 ET by redherkeyDid Mark talk about which branch Senator Biden served in? I've been googling but I keep on coming up with speeches by foreign dignatories, which has me completely confused.
And what about the great military hero, Senator Obama? From what I'm finding, he must have been double-dog-dare super secret special ops or something, kinda like Valorie Plame was, because all the google searches for his awesome military experience come up empty.
Please help.
I have avoided watching that
September 5, 2008 - 00:51 ET by TEI have avoided watching that PBS program for years, so I didn't see this latest show and don't know if David Brooks was on with Shields. If Brooks was on with Shields, did Brooks do his predictable routine of stating, "Jim, I agree with Mark" or did Brooks again remain silent following the latest boilerplate leftist inanity of Shields?
HEY SHIELDS
September 5, 2008 - 01:02 ET by cocodrieHow about Plugs Biden getting five deferments while cheating his way through law school? Definition of swiftboated - torpedoed by the truth.
"Service"
September 5, 2008 - 04:03 ET by harry flashmanI'd like to see any of these keyboard commandos and talking heads strap themselves into a F-102 and tell anyone that's not "service."
The 102 was a poorly flying monster with the glide ratio of a brick. It was pitliless and unforgiving and a widow-maker.
My guess is that the people that sneer at Bush's service are the same people that puddled their jockeys at the thought of a schoolyard fistfight and meekly surrendered their lunch money to school bullies.
Liberalites work best on their knees, surrendering to their fears and and hoping better men than they will keep them safe and the freedom to criticize those better men secure.
It's very sad that Mark
September 5, 2008 - 05:12 ET by Andrew H.It's very sad that Mark Shields has lived in the media stream for years and has yet to learn what is truth and what are lies. How does one not absorb something better by reading and listening? Or is it a failure to understand information?
Liberalism is a convenient lie.
But then again....
September 5, 2008 - 06:28 ET by Prester John....on one of the local Sunday shows here in DC Shields claimed it was DEMOCRATS who were the core of the abolitionist movement prior to the Civil War.
In days gone by Shields would occasionally say things that showed he could think and be objective, but he drank the Leftist Kool Aid a long time ago and is nothing more than a tool.
Misread Title...
September 5, 2008 - 06:29 ET by Sua Sponte 75I was really excited to read about PB&J only to discover something about PBS....What's PBS?.....
<obvious sarc>
"PDS....it's the new BDS"
how many of the media has flown or even could fly ...
September 5, 2008 - 07:37 ET by pmohbucka military jet? and how is volunteering to fly military jets considered an "avoidance of service".
armchair quarterbacks ... who cares what the think
Bush
September 5, 2008 - 09:36 ET by NorthCoasterserved in the National Guard. Tell any one of my friends that served in the National Guard that they avoided military service and you'll have a fight on your hands.
This is just a repeat of vicious Dem. propaganda.
I'm no Gore apologist
September 5, 2008 - 13:52 ET by thebronze(can't stand him) but he is a "combat vet" by virtue of serving in RVN.
Front-lines or not, anyone that served in RVN is a "combat vet" and eligible to wear the Vietnam Service Ribbon.
Let's stick to facts to make our case, not half-truths.
True..
September 6, 2008 - 02:37 ET by Sua Sponte 75He did serve, it's appreciated, but equally we must not equate his being there as something more than his service with Stars and Stripes. Service is service absolutely, not a doubt and we shouldn't try to seperate the two. To anyone who has served direct/indirect, much thanks go to you.
"You're either part of the solution or part of the problem"
True enough...
September 6, 2008 - 03:14 ET by thebronze...but to say he wasn't a "combat vet" is a bit disengenuous. Anyone that served in RVN is a "combat vet", even if he was writing stories for S&S.
Is he different than an 11B? Absolutely!
RLTW