best president ever

Move to Screen Bush File in 90's Is Reported
By Ralph Blumenthal
The New York Times www.truthout.org
www.rememberjohn.com

Thursday 12 February 2004

HOUSTON, Feb. 11 — A retired lieutenant colonel in the Texas
National Guard complained to a member of the Texas Senate in 1998 that
aides to Gov. George W. Bush improperly screened Mr. Bush's National
Guard files in a search for information that could embarrass the
governor in future elections.

The retired officer, Bill Burkett, said in the letter to Senator
Gonzalo Barrientos, a Democrat from Austin, that Dan Bartlett, then a
senior aide to Governor Bush and now White House communications
director, and Gen. Daniel James, then the head of the Texas National
Guard, reviewed the file to "make sure nothing will embarrass the
governor during his re-election campaign."

A copy of the letter was provided to The New York Times by a
lawyer for Mr. Burkett to support statements he makes in a book to be
published this month, which Mr. Burkett repeated in interviews this
week, that Mr. Bush's aides ordered Guard officials to remove damaging
information from Mr. Bush's military personnel files.

Mr. Bartlett denied on Wednesday that any records were altered.
General James, since named head of the Air National Guard by President
Bush, also denied Mr. Burkett's account. But Mr. Bartlett and another
former official in Mr. Bush's administration in Texas, Joe Allbaugh,
acknowledged speaking to National Guard officials about the files as
Mr. Bush was preparing to seek re-election as governor.

Both said their goal was to ensure that the records would be
helpful to journalists who inquired about Mr. Bush's military
experience.

Questions about Mr. Bush's service in the National Guard have
arisen in every campaign he has run since his 1994 race for governor.
His 2004 re-election campaign is no different, as Democrats have
pointed to apparent gaps in his service record with the National
Guard.

On Tuesday, the White House released 18 months of payroll records
that it says demonstrate that Mr. Bush fully completed his service.
And on Wednesday, the White House spokesman, Scott McClellan, said the
administration was awaiting more records and promised to make public
any previously undisclosed information from the file.

Mr. McClellan and other administration officials criticized the
Democrats for their attacks on Mr. Bush's service in the National
Guard during the Vietnam War. "What you are seeing is gutter
politics," Mr. McClellan said. "The American people deserve better.
There are some who are not interested in their facts. They are simply
trolling for trash."

Mr. Burkett's letter to Senator Barrientos was part of a running
battle that he waged with the National Guard after retiring in January
1998. In it, Mr. Burkett complained of "severe retaliation" from
General James for what he said was reporting "illegal acts" within the
National Guard. He also complained about the government's failure to
pay for his medical care after suffering from a tropical disease after
a military assignment to Panama in 1997. Before finally winning
medical benefits in July 1998, he said, he suffered a nervous
breakdown and was hospitalized for depression.

A spokesman for Senator Barrientos, Ray Perez, said on Wednesday
that "Mr. Burkett did correspond with this office." Senator Barrientos
said he was trying to find the six-year-old records of contacts with
Mr. Burkett. Another Texas legislator contacted at the time by Mr.
Burkett, Representative Bob Hunter, Republican of Abilene, said Mr.
Burkett had appeared before his committee overseeing military affairs
and had complained of mishandling of his medical claims but did not
mention Mr. Bush's files. He called Mr. Burkett "disgruntled."

In telephone interviews this week from his home near Abilene, Mr.
Burkett, 55, a systems analyst with 27 years in the National Guard
including service as deputy commandant of the New Mexico Military
Academy, said he happened to be in General James' office at Camp Mabry
in Austin in mid-1997 and overheard Mr. Allbaugh on a speakerphone
telling General James that Mr. Bartlett and Karen P. Hughes, another
aide to Governor Bush, would be coming to the Guard offices to review
Mr. Bush's military files.

Ms. Hughes, who left the White House in 2002, did not return a
call.

Mr. James said though a spokesman that "that discussion never
happened" and that he would "never condone falsification of any
record." Mr. Allbaugh called the account "pure hogwash," but said he
talked to General James about making Mr. Bush's records available to
reporters.

"We spoke about a lot of things," Mr. Allbaugh said. "I'm sure we
had a conversation with General James where all the records were kept
because it was an issue in 1994 and 1998 and would be in 2000. We
wanted to make sure we could refer people of your profession where to
go."

Mr. Burkett further said that about 10 days later he and another
officer walked into the Camp Mabry military museum and saw the head of
the museum, Gen. John Scribner, going through Mr. Bush's personnel
records. Mr. Burkett said he saw a trash basket with discarded papers
bearing Mr. Bush's name. Mr. Burkett said the papers appeared to be
"retirement point certificates, pay documents, that sort of thing."

General Scribner dismissed the account. "It never happened as far
as I know," he said. "Why would I be going into records?"

Mr. Burkett is quoted at length in a book to come out by the end
of the month, "Bush's War for Re-election" by James Moore, a former
Texas television reporter and co-author of "Bush's Brain."

The other Guard officer who Mr. Burkett says was with him the day
he saw General Scribner going though the records, George Conn,
declined in an e-mail message to comment on Mr. Burkett's statements.
But Mr. Conn, a former chief warrant officer for the Texas Guard and
now a civilian on duty with American forces in Europe, said: "I know
LTC Bill Burkett and served with him several years ago in the Texas
Army National Guard. I believe him to be honest and forthright. He
`calls things like he sees them.' "

A retired officer, Lt. Col. Dennis Adams, said Mr. Burkett told
him of the incidents shortly after they happened. "We talked about
them several different times," said Mr. Adams, who spent 15 years in
the Texas Guard and 12 years on active duty in the Army. He now works
for the Texas Department of Public Safety as a security officer
guarding the state Capitol.

www.rememberjohn.com www.truthout.org

As I understand what was said here, it is all hearsay. He told me that he
heard this, I over heard something on a speaker phone. HE did not hear all
of the conversation and does not know what the whole picture is. It is stuff
like this that turns me off to politics. IF it matters Mr. Kerry got
released from military service early, and did he have any reserve time added
on to his time to pay back the military like happens now a days? If I had
only served four years I would owe another 8 years inactive reserves. did
they have that back then?
"Be Kind" wrote in message
om...
Move to Screen Bush File in 90's Is Reported
By Ralph Blumenthal
The New York Times www.truthout.org
www.rememberjohn.com

Thursday 12 February 2004

HOUSTON, Feb. 11 - A retired lieutenant colonel in the Texas
National Guard complained to a member of the Texas Senate in 1998 that
aides to Gov. George W. Bush improperly screened Mr. Bush's National
Guard files in a search for information that could embarrass the
governor in future elections.

The retired officer, Bill Burkett, said in the letter to Senator
Gonzalo Barrientos, a Democrat from Austin, that Dan Bartlett, then a
senior aide to Governor Bush and now White House communications
director, and Gen. Daniel James, then the head of the Texas National
Guard, reviewed the file to "make sure nothing will embarrass the
governor during his re-election campaign."

A copy of the letter was provided to The New York Times by a
lawyer for Mr. Burkett to support statements he makes in a book to be
published this month, which Mr. Burkett repeated in interviews this
week, that Mr. Bush's aides ordered Guard officials to remove damaging
information from Mr. Bush's military personnel files.

Mr. Bartlett denied on Wednesday that any records were altered.
General James, since named head of the Air National Guard by President
Bush, also denied Mr. Burkett's account. But Mr. Bartlett and another
former official in Mr. Bush's administration in Texas, Joe Allbaugh,
acknowledged speaking to National Guard officials about the files as
Mr. Bush was preparing to seek re-election as governor.

Both said their goal was to ensure that the records would be
helpful to journalists who inquired about Mr. Bush's military
experience.

Questions about Mr. Bush's service in the National Guard have
arisen in every campaign he has run since his 1994 race for governor.
His 2004 re-election campaign is no different, as Democrats have
pointed to apparent gaps in his service record with the National
Guard.

On Tuesday, the White House released 18 months of payroll records
that it says demonstrate that Mr. Bush fully completed his service.
And on Wednesday, the White House spokesman, Scott McClellan, said the
administration was awaiting more records and promised to make public
any previously undisclosed information from the file.

Mr. McClellan and other administration officials criticized the
Democrats for their attacks on Mr. Bush's service in the National
Guard during the Vietnam War. "What you are seeing is gutter
politics," Mr. McClellan said. "The American people deserve better.
There are some who are not interested in their facts. They are simply
trolling for trash."

Mr. Burkett's letter to Senator Barrientos was part of a running
battle that he waged with the National Guard after retiring in January
1998. In it, Mr. Burkett complained of "severe retaliation" from
General James for what he said was reporting "illegal acts" within the
National Guard. He also complained about the government's failure to
pay for his medical care after suffering from a tropical disease after
a military assignment to Panama in 1997. Before finally winning
medical benefits in July 1998, he said, he suffered a nervous
breakdown and was hospitalized for depression.

A spokesman for Senator Barrientos, Ray Perez, said on Wednesday
that "Mr. Burkett did correspond with this office." Senator Barrientos
said he was trying to find the six-year-old records of contacts with
Mr. Burkett. Another Texas legislator contacted at the time by Mr.
Burkett, Representative Bob Hunter, Republican of Abilene, said Mr.
Burkett had appeared before his committee overseeing military affairs
and had complained of mishandling of his medical claims but did not
mention Mr. Bush's files. He called Mr. Burkett "disgruntled."

In telephone interviews this week from his home near Abilene, Mr.
Burkett, 55, a systems analyst with 27 years in the National Guard
including service as deputy commandant of the New Mexico Military
Academy, said he happened to be in General James' office at Camp Mabry
in Austin in mid-1997 and overheard Mr. Allbaugh on a speakerphone
telling General James that Mr. Bartlett and Karen P. Hughes, another
aide to Governor Bush, would be coming to the Guard offices to review
Mr. Bush's military files.

Ms. Hughes, who left the White House in 2002, did not return a
call.

Mr. James said though a spokesman that "that discussion never
happened" and that he would "never condone falsification of any
record." Mr. Allbaugh called the account "pure hogwash," but said he
talked to General James about making Mr. Bush's records available to
reporters.

"We spoke about a lot of things," Mr. Allbaugh said. "I'm sure we
had a conversation with General James where all the records were kept
because it was an issue in 1994 and 1998 and would be in 2000. We
wanted to make sure we could refer people of your profession where to
go."

Mr. Burkett further said that about 10 days later he and another
officer walked into the Camp Mabry military museum and saw the head of
the museum, Gen. John Scribner, going through Mr. Bush's personnel
records. Mr. Burkett said he saw a trash basket with discarded papers
bearing Mr. Bush's name. Mr. Burkett said the papers appeared to be
"retirement point certificates, pay documents, that sort of thing."

General Scribner dismissed the account. "It never happened as far
as I know," he said. "Why would I be going into records?"

Mr. Burkett is quoted at length in a book to come out by the end
of the month, "Bush's War for Re-election" by James Moore, a former
Texas television reporter and co-author of "Bush's Brain."

The other Guard officer who Mr. Burkett says was with him the day
he saw General Scribner going though the records, George Conn,
declined in an e-mail message to comment on Mr. Burkett's statements.
But Mr. Conn, a former chief warrant officer for the Texas Guard and
now a civilian on duty with American forces in Europe, said: "I know
LTC Bill Burkett and served with him several years ago in the Texas
Army National Guard. I believe him to be honest and forthright. He
`calls things like he sees them.' "

A retired officer, Lt. Col. Dennis Adams, said Mr. Burkett told
him of the incidents shortly after they happened. "We talked about
them several different times," said Mr. Adams, who spent 15 years in
the Texas Guard and 12 years on active duty in the Army. He now works
for the Texas Department of Public Safety as a security officer
guarding the state Capitol.

www.rememberjohn.com www.truthout.org

The ironic thing is that people that were mentioned are now denying the
guy's charges, and the guy who made the charge about Bush's records being
"broomed" in the 1990s apparently had filed things against the Guard before,
going back to complaints he had over benefits regarding a deployment in the
early 1990s. The guy has made several allegations against various ppl. in
the guard since, and few have panned out.

DEP

"David E. Powell" wrote in message
s.com...
The ironic thing is that people that were mentioned are now denying the
guy's charges, and the guy who made the charge about Bush's records being
"broomed" in the 1990s apparently had filed things against the Guard
before,
going back to complaints he had over benefits regarding a deployment in
the
early 1990s. The guy has made several allegations against various ppl. in
the guard since, and few have panned out.

http://www.addamsfamily.com/addams/rushafm3.jpg

op ed real Kerry:
http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/op...ists/17337.htm

"Bill and Susan Maddux" wrote in message
y.com...

Is this the same Burkett?

http://www.stolenvalor.com/

The book about Vietnam fakers that exposed some famous ah truth stretchers.

Tom C

In article . net,
"tom c" wrote:

"Bill and Susan Maddux" wrote in message
y.com...

Is this the same Burkett?

http://www.stolenvalor.com/

No.

The book about Vietnam fakers that exposed some famous ah truth stretchers.

Tom C

"Steve Hix" wrote in message
...

No.



Thanks Steve,

TC