For a long time the story centered on the fact that “never-before-seen” documents alleging that then Air National Guard pilot GW Bush had used influence and got preferential treatment to avoid going to Vietnam were forged . CBS producer Mary Mapes and Dan Rather knew they were forged and used them in a 60 Minutes expose by Dan Rather anyway. This was intended to damage the reelection efforts of President Bush which at the time was a very close contest .

Rather later confirmed the document could not be verified .He was politely dismissed by CBS... law suit over breach of contract is pending although the suit does not dispute the facts that led to his dismissal.

All this is true. But it turns out that there is even more information related to the story ,that CBS... or at least Mapes knew ,and suppressed .
The truth is that George Bush VOLUNTEERED to go to Vietnam and was turned down in favor of more experienced pilots;and Mapes was told this well before the story aired . The Texas ANG ran a program called "Palace Alert" for pilots that wished to serve in Vietnam . Bush asked in and he was turned down because of experience ,and because Palace Alert had stopped accepting new applicants before Bush would have been eligible.

Before Mapes was fired and Rather shown the door CBS established an outside panel to investigate the details of the controversy . It was during their investigation that they discovered that Mapes had been informed about Bush's attempt to volunteer to go to Vietnam. It is contained in the report they prepared for CBS ;and their it was buried by CBS . (go to doc link provided here and scroll down to page 130 Infothought: CBS Report file has been modifed! Cut and Paste now prohibited! )

I post this to help correct the public perception ,that some still maintain ,that Bush joined the TxANG to avoid going to Vietnam. He joined it for one reason only ,to become a fighter pilot .

I also post this to put the final nail in the coffin to the myth that the legacy media has any credibility at all. There was plenty of time for them to report the truth if they ever intended the truth to be revealed. Their coverup by omission proves that CBS had an agenda about the outcome of the 2004 election.

The funny thing is that if this posting had said that the report proves Bush shirked his duty there would be 30 responses to this op already .

Bush is irrelevant now.

I'll remember that when I hear him blamed for every screwup by the current adm.

Hello tom:

I don't know if the dufus served... I don't care. What I DO know, is he's looking a lot more sympathetic in my eyes. If he only wouldn't have laid down for vice, he MIGHT have been successful... I think HE knows this too.

excon

Then why is he constantly brought up as an excuse for Obama's screwups, especially the failed Stimulus Bill and the failed TARP programs?

Well, well, well,. Time cures all ills, I guess. Even Bush Derangement Syndrome.

Elliot

Have you not kept up with the news lately? Tell the media and the Dems he's irrelevant now. In fact, tell the Obama administration which is still blaming the economy and the deficit and such on Bush. Even WaPo said it was time for Obama to drop the “we inherited it” line.

The man is irrelevant not the effects of his policies.

Is that like separating the man from the legacy and not exploiting him after his departure?

My purpose is to correct the record and to provide historical accuracy. There are too many falacies about President Bush that get repeated over and over again .It is very convenient to claim irrelevency now ;but the next opportunity that comes up the charge of chicken hawk,or draft dodger ,or stolen election ,or any number of other lines we've heard over and over again will be repeated.