Well, now that we've got one question resolved....
(PS - I found plenty of blogs that appeared to claim that Bush had signed a 180... but no News items referring to that, and nothing from official WH or military sources. It appears to be a well-repeated 'urban myth'. Most of the blogs used language that seemed near-identical with language from the swiftboat vets site... but that site didn't link to anything official about this.)
Re: "Now why hasn't AP sued Kerry?"
Very good question. I think they should demand a 180 from him as well.
It appears though that access to some of the relevant Bush records are no longer 'controlled' by the Guard. It has been taken out of their hands. Perhaps that is why the AP has filed their Freedom of Information lawsuit --- because certain records that would normally be available, are no longer available to the public in this particular case:
Why Is The Pentagon Under Orders Not To Discuss Bush’s Record With Reporters?
Freedom of Information Officers are Under Orders From Senior Pentagon Officials To Ignore Requests on Bush Files. According to the Spokane Spokesman-Review, “at the National Guard Bureau, now headed by a Bush appointee from Texas, officials last week said they were under orders not to answer questions. The bureau's chief historian said he couldn't discuss questions about Bush's military service on orders from the Pentagon. ‘If it has to do with George W. Bush, the Texas Air National Guard or the Vietnam War, I can't talk with you,’ said Charles Gross, chief historian for the National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C. Rose Bird, Freedom of Information Act officer for the bureau, said her office stopped taking records requests on Bush's military service in mid-February and is directing all inquiries to the Pentagon. She would not provide a reason. Air Force and Texas Air National Guard officials did not respond to written questions about the issue. James Hogan, a records coordinator at the Pentagon, said senior Defense Department officials had directed the National Guard Bureau not to respond to questions about Bush's military records.” [Spokane Spokesman-Review, 3/14/04] |
