President Bush gives lip service to supporting those who serve in our military. For instance, he praises employers who stand by their workers in the National Guard and Reserve:
"We are fighting the war on many fronts. And we could not win the war without the help of the Guard and the Reservists. They in turn could not do their vital work without the support of their employers... Many employers are putting national interests above their own self interests." said Bush, praising those that are providing full pay and benefits and job security for workers performing full-time military duty.
President Recognizes Employer Efforts
November 9th, 2001
On the other hand, some employers put self interest above the national interest, and have no regard for a loyal employee who is also serving in the Reserves. Employers, such as... well, President Bush!
A stark example of this was brought up in the Senate Judiciary Hearing today regarding the firing of the U.S. Attorneys, the so-called Gonzales Seven, in an exchange between Chuck Schumer and one of the fired U.S. Attorneys, David Iglesias:
Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY): One of the reasons that they said-- that the Justice Department said-- that you had a performance problem, was that you were an "absentee landlord". Just to get the record clear here: isn't it true that you served in the Navy Reserve which required you to serve your country approximately forty days per year?
Fmr. U.S. Attorney David Iglesias: That's correct sir. In fact, I took my call from [Director of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys] Mike Battle (the call where Battle informed Iglesias he was fired) ironically on Pearl Harbor Day as I was coming back from Navy duty in Newport, Rhode Island. I'm required to serve at least 36 days per year. Sometimes I add a little extra duty so it probably averages out to 40, maybe 45 days of duty per year.
Schumer: Didn't the Department know you were a Reservist when they recommended you for U.S. Attorney position in the first place?
Iglesias: I'm very proud of my Navy service and it was on my resume-- featured very prominently.
Schumer: How did you feel when they accused you of absenteeism and you knew that the primary reason that you were out of your office was to be in the Reserve?
Iglesias: Well, it's very ironic, since the Department of Justice enforces USERRA, the Uniform Services Employment Rights and Reemployment Act, which ensures that Guard members and Reserve members have full employment rights and are not discriminated against on the basis of their military affiliation.
Schumer: And were you ever before that told that you were in danger of being fired or that your absences were hurting the U.S. Attorney's office in New Mexico or anything to that effect?
Iglesias: Never, sir.
Of course we are fairly certain that absenteeism wasn't the real reason that Iglesias was thrown under the bus; in all likelihood, Iglesias was fired because he didn't cave to the Republican strong-arm tactics of Senator Pete Domenici and Rep. Heather Wilson to fast-track, for political purposes, a public corruption case involving Democrats. That would make the the claim that Iglesias was fired for absenteeism even more shameful; not only would it be against every principle that this President claims to hold in terms of supporting our men and women in uniform, but it would also be a lie and a smear against a true patriot.
But then, maybe this is all a big misunderstanding, since President Bush may think, from his own personal experience, that the National Guard and Reserve are commitments that you can just walk away from on a whim in a time of war. So I'll cut the President some slack, and I will forgive him if the error is corrected. So I ask President Bush to restore David Iglesias, a fine man serving his country, to his position as U.S. Attorney.