ConNiPtioNs

Bush's Top Gun Photo-Op

By David Corn, The Nation
05/01/2003 @ 4:59pm

Winning a war or two goes a long way toward redefining a man.

As the cable news networks enthusiastically covered George W. Bush's trip to the USS Abraham Lincoln--cool military hardware, guys in uniforms, the Big Man, and a touch of can-anything-go-wrong drama--there were plenty of references to Bush's days in the Texas Air National Guard, when he flew F-102 fighter jets. (Well, sort of--but we'll get to that.) On MSNBC, correspondent George Lewis noted that Bush, with his tailhook landing on the aircraft carrier, was "becoming one of" the troops on board. He didn't add, only 25 years late. That is, neither Lewis nor any of the other television journalists covering this gee-whiz event (whom I saw) mentioned Bush's rather spotty (to be kind about it) record in the National Guard. (read more)


While the Great Warrior King was supposed to be reporting to his National Guard assignment sixteen men from his hometown died in Vietnam in his place.