Unfit Commander: Texans for Truth Take on George W. Bush

i don't like bush at all, and i don't like the way he makes texans look; even though he isn't really a texan, he was born in conneticut. do yourself a favor, and buy this book.

As a Texan, I've taken a lot of good-natured ribbing from activist friends around the world. They have told me that the best way to save the country would be to send Bush back to Texas. Because it ultimately implies that I and other Texans unanimously had supported Bush, this statement is a gross generalization. We actually had more reason to oppose his ascension than people from other states. Plus, already knowing what Bush would do to America and the world if he (unlike the figurehead Texas Governor position) actually had power, provided all the incentive which I needed to vote against him in 2000 and 2004. I and other alert Texans COULD NOT reside under the illusion that George W. Bush was somehow 'moderate'. We also knew that it did matter who actually won the presidential elections. Mounting casualties in Iraq coupled with a skyrocketing federal deficit are affirming just how bad a Bush administration really is for the world. Amidst a growing number of 'Bush' supporter head-scratching and (actually) genuine bewilderment, we say "I told you so". Continuing a pattern begun in early adulthood (to escape the Vietnam War he allegedly supported) Bush is a good-ole boy who depends on his family name and the monetary connections to avoid the situations which other Texans had to deal with. Borrowing an `image' page from Ronald Reagan and his father's playbook, Bush intentionally cultivates an image of the 'rugged cowboy' who has made it on his own without any assistance. In addition to downplaying the importance of government, the `cowboy' also is supposed to suggest that the president is a John-Wayne figure who will of course be able to protect the country against whatever is considered a threat. Yet, the truth is that Bush is a naive and sheltered person who has never had to take responsibility for his actions. This is why the Bush administration honestly is not bothered that they have lied to the American people, or are slaughtering American troops (who already face enough danger) with that same fabricated evidence about Iraq WMD's. As long as somebody else can go to war in their place, these people sincerely do not see a contradiction in their own actions. Even if I have personally read the general gist of this book elsewhere, I was pleased to see it again. The truth always bears repeating. The American people (and those in Texas) want to easily be comforted by 'security' images. Constant repetition of the real facts may thus be the very tool which encourages these swing voters to stop voting for the GOP---and/or recognize they are not the only Texans who hate Bush's war against the world. There are far more of us out here than the so-called liberal mass media has recognized. Don't send Bush back to Texas, lock him up far, far away where he will never be able to hurt anybody again.

During the Vietnam War, John F. Kerry bravely performed his patriotic duty and risked his life in combat. During the same war, George Bush took the cowardly route and went AWOL from the Air National Guard for nearly a year. Glenn W. Smith's eye opening UNFIT COMMANDER provides full documented evidence, including over 250 pages of service records, that exposes the whole, shocking truth about Dumbya's shameful military "career". Smith provides a richly detailed introduction and commentary, plus an extensive appendix, that puts the sordid tale into proper perspective. Smith even addresses the recent CBS memo "controversy" and how Republicans used the media to promote that ridiculous sham of a news story in order to divert the populace from the truth about the president's cowardly past. UNFIT COMMANDER is a well researched and important historical document. Any remaining undecided voters out there should read it ASAP.

While the Swift Boat Brigade that has attempted to besmirch the war record of John Kerry has been exposed as a group of malicious liars with the Navy providing the final stamp of approval on the Democratic presidential candidate's service, the record of George W. Bush in the Texas Air National Guard has been anything but exonerated. Glenn Smith does a great service in exposing Bush as the same spoiled son of privilege who appears in the pages of Kitty Kelley's lengthy work on the Bushes. Smith zeroes in on Bush's service and, to quote Gertrude Stein, discovers that "there is no there there." Standing in the forefront is Bush's father, a prominent Texas congressman, who knows the right people and is prepared to make the right moves to help his son avoid active duty in Southeast Asia. The revelations of Smith demonstrate once more the double standard and rank hypocrisy running rampant on the Republican right. The same people who turn and look the other way in silent embarrassment when Bush's National Guard service, and lack thereof, are mentioned are the same individuals who wanted to hang Bill Clinton from the nearest tree for being a "draft dodger" when he had a strong belief that the Vietnam War was wrong. In the case of Bush he was a staunch anti-Communist who saluted Barry Goldwater's position of an aggressive bombing campaign against the North Vietnamese. Despite Bush's strong professed beliefs that the Vietnam War was the right move and that the Communists needed to be stopped, he headed for the tall grass when the opportunity to put his actions behind his stated convictions arose. At least there is some consistency in the Bush position. He did, after all, choose Dick Cheney as his vice president. Tough cold warrior Cheney also has solid credentials as a Chicken Hawk, having expressed himself strongly on behalf of the Vietnam War, then aggressively pursued four educational deferments. After the last deferment expired the man they would later call Mr. Gravitas did the only noble thing under the circumstances, he impregnated his wife, receiving a final deferment and saying goodbye for good to his Vietnam problems. Bush had, after all, been a cheerleader at Andover Academy. Bush and Cheney proved to be effective Chicken Hawk cheerleaders as the sons of East Los Angeles and Watts were called on to serve on active duty in Vietnam.

Smith's latest book, Unfit Commander, at last gives us a detailed account of George W. Bush's military record, at least that which has been disclosed to the public. Finally we have the opportunity to see for ourselves what all the rumor and innuendo and SPIN is all about. If you are tired of getting your information from partisan spin masters, then you will appreciate the opportunity to discover the truth from the records themselves...including none that are in dispute. The book also includes interesting and informative exchanges between the White House and the press regarding this issue. Smith's opening essay explains why this issue is relevant to the upcoming election. It gives us the opportunity to critically evaluate the motives and judgement of our current commander in chief. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in becoming more informed about the choice we face in November.