John Kerry's Senate Record

“Is this the vacuum you were refering too laquis?”

“Shhhhhh! Liberals don't want to talk about such things as sKerry's record. They prefer semantics like, "I'm John sKerry and I'm a war hero.".”

“Questions About Bush's Guard Service Unanswered




By Dave Moniz and Jim Drinkard / USA TODAY

WASHINGTON - At a time when Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has come under fire from a group of retired naval officers who say he lied about his combat record in Vietnam, questions about President Bush's 1968-73 stint in the Texas Air National Guard remain unresolved: (Related item: Bush urges end to TV attack ads by outside groups)

Some of the documents about President Bush's military service documents still have not been made public.

• Why did Bush, described by some of his fellow officers as a talented and enthusiastic pilot, stop flying fighter jets in the spring of 1972 and fail to take an annual physical exam required of all pilots?

• What explains the apparent gap in the president's Guard service in 1972-73, a period when commanders in Texas and Alabama say they never saw him report for duty and records show no pay to Bush when he was supposed to be on duty in Alabama?

• Did Bush receive preferential treatment in getting into the Guard and securing a coveted pilot slot despite poor qualifying scores and arrests, but no convictions, for stealing a Christmas wreath and rowdiness at a football game during his college years?

The White House has released hundreds of pages of records, but the files released so far haven't answered those questions. Since the documents were released in February, at least a half-dozen news organizations, including USA TODAY, have filed new requests for Bush's military records under the Freedom of Information Act.

In an e-mail to USA TODAY last week, presidential spokesman Dan Bartlett said: "The president has authorized the release of his records and we are complying with all requests. Some are taking longer than others, but all will be addressed."

Past military service and qualifications to be commander in chief have become a central theme in the 2004 presidential campaign.

Questions about Bush's record predate the current campaign. The apparent gap in his Guard service first surfaced before the 2000 election, when The Boston Globe reported that Texas Guard commanders were unable to account for Bush's whereabouts from May 1972 to April 1973.

Bush has not said what he did in the Guard during that period. Aside from a statement by a former Alabama Air Guard officer who said he saw Bush report for duty there in the fall of 1972, the only evidence he was at Dannelly Air National Guard Base in Alabama was a record of a dental exam on Jan. 6, 1973, at the base.

Bush said in a TV interview in February that he would make all his military records available. That month, the White House released more than 400 pages of Bush military records, including some duplicates, and said the documents were a complete catalog of his personnel files.

But some documents still have not been made public. The White House did not release Bush's medical records from his Guard files but allowed a group of reporters who cover the White House to review them for 20 minutes. They found nothing unusual. Kerry released some of his military records earlier this year. He has also declined to release his complete medical records but showed them to reporters as Bush did.

Since February, the White House has banned all Guard and military commanders outside the Pentagon from commenting on Bush's records or service. Requests for information must go to the Pentagon's Freedom of Information Act office.

The Pentagon last week responded to a 4-month-old request from USA TODAY for additional records from Bush's files by sending another copy of documents that were released by the White House in February. The documents do not address the unexplained year in Bush's Guard service or his decision to stop flying.

The Associated Press filed a lawsuit this summer requesting copies of Bush's military records stored in a Texas archive on microfilm. It sought information that might explain why Bush did not take his flight physical and whether he showed up for duty in Alabama in the fall of 1972, AP spokesman John Stokes said.”

“Having been in Mass for most of Kerry's time in the Senate and watched him over the years, I'd say he's done a pretty good job. He's reasoned, thoughtful and highly competent. I've disagreed with him before, even sent him angry letters, and haven't always voted for him - but he's been capable and involved.”

“Hey! And he can actually think for himself! Wouldn't THAT be freshing in a president!”

“This Boston Globe story (part of a series) details the part of Kerry's record that I find so appealing.

His work uncovering Iran/Contra and the BCCI scandal shows that he is unafraid to go after power and will expose wrongdoing even when it involves members of his own party or their supporters.

It would be nice to have a man of priciple in the White House for a change.”

“... and why his campaign hasn't highlighted this when he is running against a man who has made many people who were convicted in Iran/Contra his closest advisors is beyond me.”

“You bet, Violin!!”

“Good point, V. Have wondered that myself. I can see Cheney and Rummy now if that was brought up...

"It was Ollie's fault!!!"”

“The cover story in this week's Time Magazine on Bush is very good. It is neither pro nor con. It is revealing.”

“Damn Liberal Press!”

“How did I know this would turn into a Bush Bashing?

At least pedxing made an effort.

Can someone get me a list of the Bills proposed by Kerry that became law during his 20 years as a Senator?

How many can name the committees that Kerry chaired during his 20 years?

How many of the 49 public meetings of the Senate Intelligence committee did Kerry attend from 1993 through 2001?

Ans: There is no list, He chaired no committee, 11”

“bbw, Sounds like real leadership doesn't it?”

“I believe the number of bills sponsored by Kerry that passed into law is 57. That would be a long list and a lot of research to get them.

I can't name a committee he chaired, not sure if he ever chaired a committee. However, I know he is the ranking member of the Sub-Committee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs. I know people who know east Asia very well, including a former national intelligence officer for East Asia and Kerry gets a lot of respect for his command of the issues there.

Often, it's the hacks in the ruling party that get the chairmanships. Chairmanships is not a measure to me of worth. He serves well on Commerce, Finance and Foreign Relations.”

“ped, you may be right about the bills he sponsored, but that just means that someone else proposed/wrote the bill and Kerry says "hey that's a good idea, count me in". Not exactly leadership.

He said he was vice chairman on intelligence, too. What happened there? Never heard much about that when it turned out to be Bob Kerry. Indentity crisis I guess.”

“The prior posters have done a good job of giving some detail.

But the real reason to vote for Kerry is balance of power.

Parties with total control get fat and lose their soul. That's why the Republicans aren't acting very conservative these days. They like and use the levers of power.

This election is an opportunity to check the power.

So, essentially, it doesn't matter what Kerry did. Will he make the Republican Congress honest? I think he will.”

“Assignment for NoProb.

Compare and contrast the words 'Sponsor' and 'Co-Sponsor'.”

“Dang Violin, now he has to find one of them high fallutin' word lookin'-up books.”

“I'll go look it up on salon.com. That's a real reliable source.”

“You could try admitting a mistake. It's only human.”

“Mea culpa. Is it really possible that you finally got one right? It'll take me a long time to get over that.”