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The progressive hoax doesn't stop here. The hoaxers further duped the American people into believing that not only had GWB used political influence to leapfrog hundreds of ANG applicants but that he did so to avoid going to Vietnam. They gave credence to charges of political influence and favoritism which propped up Dan Rather's CBS 60 Minute fabricated story and fraudulent memos and the Ben Barnes' fabricated story of political influence. (Note: Colonel William Campenni (retired), U.S. Air Force/Air National Guard served in the same fighter squadron as GWB. See his articles: "Bush and I were Lieutenants" and "Answering Kerry's Questions". See my article: Left-Wingers' Attacks on Bush Are Slap in Face to Servicemen.)

Dan Rather and Left-Wing Media (LWM) asserted that political influence, family intervention, favoritism and special treatment were used to get GWB into the TANG. Their assertions were false. The truth is GWB got into the Guard based on his own merit. (p.47)

President George Herbert Walker Bush stated publicly that the Bush family played no part, whatsoever, in getting GWB in the TANG. President George W. Bush stated publicly that he had no help from anyone in getting into the Guard. For arguments sake, let's disregard what both Presidents said on this issue.

A serendipity benefit of the CBS 60 Minutes fraudulent memo scandal was that the public got to hear directly from retired TANG senior officers about GWB's TANG service (unfiltered by LWM). What these officers had to say was quite different from what LWM had been telling the American people. Retired Colonel Walter B. "Buck" Staudt (who conducted the interview that resulted in GWB being selected by the TANG) stated in an ABC special interview that: "He recalled Bush as a standout candidate"; "No one called me about taking George Bush into the Air National Guard. It was my decision. I swore him in. I never heard anything from anybody."; "He didn't use political influence to get into the Air National Guard"; "He was highly qualified. He passed all the scrutiny and tests he was given" "He was a well-educated, bright-eyed young man, just the kind of guy we were looking for." "He presented himself well. He more than met the requirements for pilot training. I'd say he was in the upper 10 percent or 5 percent or whatever we ever talked to about going to pilot training. We were pretty particular because when he came back (from training); we had to fly with him."

Any investigative journalist searching for the truth on how GWB was selected for the TANG would have asked himself simple logical questions. First, why wouldn't the TANG want GWB? Bush was a Yale graduate and potentially a great asset to the Guard. Second, why wouldn't the Guard select a young man who had already met stringent educational, security clearance and physical requirements for pilot training and held the attributes Staudt stated in the ABC special interview? (These attributes were well known by many people). Third, there was "no waiting list" for "qualified pilot applicants" in May 1968 (when GWB applied for pilot training) so why would political influence be needed? Fourth, GWB's pilot instructor in the F-102 (Major Maurice Udell) pegged GWB in the top 5 percent of pilots he instructed; GWB was known to be a top notch fighter pilot by the pilots that flew with him and knew him. Given due consideration to the above and positive information about the flying skills of GWB, a fair minded journalist would have concluded that the TANG made the right decision when they selected GWB for pilot training.

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