Letters to the Editor
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National Guard in Texas in the Sixties
First let me just say as a man who grew up in Austin, Texas in the late sixties I can tell you that the spots in the Texas National Guard were coveted. I can tell you Ben Barnes was a very powerful person and could get you in. I can also tell you that the conservatives in the Texas Democratic Party of which Ben Barnes was closely allied were going to back the father George H.W. Bush if Ralph Yarbrough defeated Lloyd Benson in the Democratic primary in 1969. Most of those Democrats including the likes of Phil Graham and current governor Rick Perry have turned to Republicans. I can tell you there was no way in hell you could get into that unit of the National Guard without a connection. I know because my dad offered to get me into the Guard using the influence of the former ambassador to Australia and LBJ confidante Ed Clark if I did not get my student deferment. I promise you that anyone who believes Bush’s story about how he got in to the Guard is clueless.
As for the documents, I have wondered about them. I heard the guy who provided them was unsure about their authenticity and had expressed concern about them when he gave them to CBS. I have wondered if Karl Rove produced them on his own word processor and got them into the hands of someone they knew would get them in hands of someone who would release them. Once that was done they tipped off the conservative bogglers about the forgeries. They would be shot down and the truth about Bush’s draft dodging would be taken care of forever. Funny how it works out.