by James Glaser
February 16, 2004

A "Wannabe," is a person that never went to war, never was in a theater of operation in which they were subject to hostile enemy fire, but want everyone to think they have.

It doesn't matter which party hold the Executive Branch of government, they both use the same technique. When damaging material or announcements must be made, the very best time to present it if they want to minimize the impact, is late on a Friday afternoon of a holiday weekend.

This last Friday, (remember this is President's Day weekend) the White House dumped hundreds of pages of George Bush's military record out for the press to see and then said, here is the proof that George was not Absent With Out Leave.

The problem with the Bush administration using this "weekend dump technique" is that everyone knows why they are doing it. It has been used too many times, by too many administrations and now the press gives material and announcements made this way a more thorough look than ever before.

The result is that in the opinion of most of the press, there is nothing new in the military records produced and there is still no answer to why the President missed eight months of service during his enlistment.

Bush has handled this whole affair poorly. Rather that piecemeal out the information over a five year period, he could have been honest from the start and said that toward the end of his enlistment he decided that the Vietnam War was winding down and he and thousands of others in the National Guard stopped attending meetings. He did enough to get an honorable discharge and his not attending, did not hurt America at all.

George didn't do that, in stead he keeps saying that he did finish up his enlistment until he had permission to leave. Then he makes it sound like he is lying, because the White House gives out his pay records and then they really goof up and say "when you are paid, you attended the Guard meetings." Well there are months and months that George did not get paid, so I guess they would have to say, when you don't get paid, you did not attend Guard meetings. They shot themselves in the foot.

Here is why this story has legs and resonates with so many Vets from every war. These veterans could not take off for a few months no matter how good of an excuse they had and if they missed over 30 days of service they were declared AWOL. Well these Veterans could over look George's AWOL time and I am sure many even admire that he "got over" on Uncle Sam, but George can't seem to keep his mouth shut.

In the Houston Chronicle, of January 2002, George Bush is quoted as saying, "I've been to war. I've raised twins. If I had a choice, I would rather go to war." Veterans don't mind so much if somebody skipped out on some National Guard meetings, but every American Combat Veteran hates with a passion, "wannabes."

There are men that have impersonated Congressional Medal of Honor recipients. Some of these imposters were never even in the service, but every one of them wanted to feel like a hero. President Bush has not impersonated any one with medals on their chest, but he has attempted to impersonate being a Combat Veteran.

So here is the deal; George Bush in his sick mind, is trying to grab a little bit of the Glory he thinks being a Combat Veteran gets you. President Bush claims that he has been to war and the truth is he hasn't. President Bush landed on the deck of an Aircraft Carrier right off our coast, set the cameras up so he looks like he is out in the middle of the ocean, maybe right over by Iraq, and wears the borrowed flight suit of a Combat Pilot.

Now on National Television, Bush repeatedly refers to himself as a "War President." George Bush has now proven to the American Veteran population that he is a classic example of a Military Wannabe.

Nothing I can think of upsets an American War Veteran more than someone trying to take credit for defending our Nation when they didn't. George Bush has given this story "legs" and it will be with us until the election and it will cost him votes.