Bush-Guard Gate

I finally got around to reading, and completed a book by Mary Mapes. Mapes was the producer of CBS News' 60 Minutes II program that aired the George W. Bush National Guard story. She and Rather were blasted by political bloggers after the story ran. The bad publicity eventually cost both of them their jobs.

After reading the book, I can honestly say that Mapes is not a completely objective observer. She has a definite bias against conservatives. She claims objectivity, yet I can see obvious left-leanings in her language. Her book was an attempt to gain sympathy for her side of the story. I'm not sure I have much to give her.

BUT, and here's the BIG kicker: she's RIGHT about Bush! Her motives may have been to report negative news about the President, but she really had a factual story. Bush WAS AWOL. In her book, she gives a lot of information that was not aired the night the Bush-Guard story aired. The interviews and corroborating evidence were cut by her bosses shortly before the story was to air.

I work right down the street from the place where Bush supposedly drilled in the early 70's. I've known people in the air-guard that worked there. No one remembers Bush being at Dannelly, save one guy who claims to have had sandwiches with him 5 months before he ever came to Dannelly.

The fact is, President Bush accepted unethical help from his superiors due to the influence of his father and his grandfather. He was able to go and come as he pleased, with no fear of repercussion. He played politics and did who-knows-what while other young men his age, and with greater skill than he, risked their lives in a war his father promoted.

I probably wouldn't recommend the Mapes book to many people. I would, however, encourage people to research this story. It served to add to the amount of shame I feel for voting for W. Bush in 2000 and for his father back in the day.