THE RECENT media frenzy over President Bush's war record truly demonstrates the media's lack of objectivity. The issue over his military record has been unearthed by the press time and time again, spun as something shocking and cataclysmic on every occasion. The issue dates back to his gubernatorial race in Texas in 1994. The Boston Globe covered the story during the 2000 presidential election. Several other media outlets launched investigative reports on the matter.
Of course, it's proper for the media to dissect his record, which they have done for several election seasons, but it is also imperative that they further examine Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who has a history of his own.
The press demanded the release of Bush's military records, and they got what they asked for. In response, the White House distributed packets of 400-plus pages of documents on Feb. 13 detailing Bush's record of service in the National Guard -- light weekend reading for the press's perusal. If only Howard Dean would follow suit with his records (not that he is a major contender anymore, despite his insistence on staying in the race).
Bush's records reveal various promotions, job performance ratings, a clean disciplinary record and a lack of "damaging details" that were allegedly "hidden in his medical record" ("Democrats Skeptical of Bush's Guard File," AP wire, Feb. 14). The AP article states, "The documents also show no sign that Bush received special treatment either to get into the Guard... or to be discharged from it... to attend Harvard Business School." The article also reports on Bush's request to transfer to an Alabama base to work on a Senate campaign and the payroll records indicating his compensation at Alabama.
According to the AP wire story, the records "show Bush getting a glowing recommendation for promotion to 1st lieutenant... and exemplary performance evaluations from his commanders." Lt. Col. Bobby Hodges described Bush as "an outstanding young pilot and officer and... a credit to this unit. This officer is rated in the upper 10 percent of his contemporaries."
Democratic National Committee Chair Terry McAuliffe blasted Bush for going "AWOL" during the year he worked on the Senate campaign. University Democrats echoed similar sentiments at the Students for Bush rally Monday afternoon, chanting, "AWOL." McAuliffe even went so far as to say, "George Bush never served in our military and our country," (ABC's "This Week," Feb. 1). First of all, McAuliffe didn't serve in the military. Second, did he ever point this out about President Clinton? Finally, and most importantly, classifying the National Guard as a non-existent part of the military is the ultimate disrespect to the more than 174,000 reservists and National Guardsmen on active duty around the world, and especially the 80 members who have given their lives for our country in Iraq.
Can the press get over its obsession with a 30-year-old story? Notice that the media hasn't really focused on Kerry's record, including his actual job performance in the Senate. For example, why did he vote against several of the major pieces of military equipment and technology currently used by our troops in Iraq? To date, he has supported the cancellation of weapons systems such as the B-1 bomber, the Patriot antimissile system and the F-14A, F-14D and F-15 fighter jets, systems that are currently used by Coalition forces in Iraq ("Kerry's 19 Years in Senate Invite Scrutiny," washingtonpost.com, Feb. 8). Certainly, he, a decorated war hero, would know the utter importance of advanced weapons technology for soldiers in the armed forces.
No one is asserting that Bush was more honorable to his country than Kerry. However, Kerry's service to his country shouldn't absolve him of any media scrutiny on the issues of foreign policy and national security.
If the media are going to harp on whether Bush's dental records are provided to them, maybe they should also question Kerry on a statement made on Feb. 13, 1970, in an interview with The Harvard Crimson. In the interview, he stated, "I'm an internationalist. I'd like to see our troops dispersed through the world only at the directive of the United Nations," ("Old Crimson Interview Reveals A More Radical John Kerry," thecrimson.com, Feb. 11). When discussing his view of the CIA, he expressed his desire "to almost eliminate CIA activity. The CIA is fighting its own war in Laos and nobody seems to care." Does he still feel this way? Would he adopt this policy if he became the commander-in-chief? I doubt it, and I would certainly hope not.
If he has since changed his view, this would be perfectly legitimate. After all, he has since acquired more experience and knowledge, but the media should still question him on this and other inconsistencies throughout his career. The public ought to know this before they cast their ballots. I certainly would rather know the answer to this than know Bush had his tonsils out when he was five, a detail disclosed in the documents released by the White House.
(Whitney Blake is a Cavalier Daily associate editor. She can be reached at wblake@cavalierdaily.com.)
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