aTypical Joe: a gay New Yorker living in the rural South

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Barnes’ Bush volunteered to go to Viet Nam

Andrew Sullivan points to Fred Barnes drinking the Karl Rove Kool-Aid on the Diane Rehm Show:

DR:  What about the president’s own service in the military?

FB:  Well, he didn’t shirk.  He joined the national guard.  At one time, it’s reported--I don’t know whether--I have not myself personally confirmed this--that he volunteered for Vietnam and was turned down.  He volunteered--

DR:  Turned down?

FB:  He was a flier.  Well, he wasn’t in a unit that would get him over there or something.  It’s been, it’s been widely reported--

DR:  Fred, where’d that come from?  I’ve never heard that before.

FB:  Oh sure.  What?  That he’d--

DR:  That he volunteered to go to Vietnam.

FB:  He volunteered for Vietnam duty and didn’t get there.  I don’t think I’m making this up.

DR:  Can you cite me some evidence on that?

FB:  I thought it was quite widely known.

DR:  Never heard that one before.

FB:  Really? Well, I’ve heard it many, many times.

Barnes is out flacking his the-president-has-no-warts-at-all book. Read John Dickerson’s review.