THE GREAT WHITE BEAR

The parents of former pro football star Pat Tillman are accusing the Army and President Bush of using their sons death for political purposes, as well as lying and covering up the facts surrounding his death. Tillman, who quit the NFL to join the Army Rangers along with his brother and hunt Ossama bin Laden in Afghanistan, was killed in a friendly fire incident. Although they knew almost immediately that he had died at the hands of his comrades, the army made up an elaborate story about Tillman's heroic death. And month's after the Bush Administration knew the facts surrounding his death, the president continued to play up the myth, even offering a taped memorial message honoring Tillman's heroic death before the beginning of an Arizona Cardinal's home game. Which happened to fall just before the November election.

From Salon: According to the parents, as well as Army records, soldiers knew almost instantly that Tillman had been killed by his own troops, but officials sat on the truth -- and in fact created their own mythical narrative about Tillman's heroic death -- until after a nationally televised memorial service last May. "

Said Tillman's father, Patrick, "After it happened, all the people in positions of authority went out of their way to script this. They purposely interfered with the investigation, they covered it up. I think they thought they could control it, and they realized that their recruiting efforts were going to go to hell in a handbasket if the truth about his death got out. They blew up their poster boy."

Incredibly, months later, after senior U.S. military officials clearly knew their cover story about Tillman was a fake, Bush continued to play up the myth, offering a taped memorial message to Tillman at a Phoenix Cardinals football game shortly before the presidential election. (end story)

It never ceases to amaze me the depths to which this administration has sunk.