BillHobbs.com is a frequently updated blog of original reporting and commentary by Bill Hobbs, a longtime Nashville journalist and media relations adviser. I am currently serving as communications director for the Tennessee Republican Party, a job I began on Oct. 29, 2007.
Teddy Bart on his daily radio show, "Teddy Bart's Roundtable" may have given us a clue about who knew about the documents nearly a month ago. It appears that Bob Tuke, who was a guest on the show on August 11th knew that something was about to happen with regard to President Bush's alleged failure to show up for a physical examination.
Teddy referenced the episode yesterday (September 9th) when 42:13 seconds into the show he said, "listeners to the Roundtable will note that something was going to come because Bob Tuke, who is a Nashville attorney and significant in the Kerry campaign in Tennessee, told us about three weeks ago that um there was going to be some document, or implied that there will be a document about Bush's missing time in the Alabama National Guard, in the National Guard, and that somebody was going to come forward with a document. So it did happen, and uh 60 Minutes had it."
Moore says the interesting part of the conversation starts at 56:18 into the two-hour August 11 broadcast
Bob Tuke said that by the time of the debates, "We may also know why Bush failed to show up for his medical exam that caused him to lose his flight status." When pressed on his comment he said that, "The physical exam was scheduled for a couple of weeks after the Air Force changed its policy and decided to put drug testing into physical exams so now the speculation is out there about why would a person who has been serving for - supposedly serving for - three to four years in the Air National Guard as a pilot fail to show up for a physical so that he could maintain his flight certification status? Why?"
Teddy pressed him on the issue and Tuke wouldn't get more specific, but the astute journalist Teddy concluded the first hour of the show by saying that "My sense of it is just, just, just flitting around the edges of Mr. Tuke's comment, somebeody's going to come forward soon and say something about that physical examination."
What was obvious to Teddy Bart even a month ago was that Bob Tuke was aware of a pending document that would shed a damaging light on President Bush's time in the National Guard. But how would Bob Tuke know? Sure, he's well-known in Tennessee Democrat circles, but he's not that high up in the Kerry organization. If I were a budding journalist wanting to make a name for myself, I'd sure like to ask Bob Tuke, what did you know and when did you know it?
If I was prone to wagering, I'd bet good money the forged memos came from or passed through the Kerry campaign on the way to CBS.I disagree that Tuke was not highly placed enough in the Kerry campaign. Tuke, a Nashville attorney and former Marine Corps officer and Vietnam veteran, is - most significantly for this story is also the Tennessee state chairman of Veterans for Kerry, and a partner in a law firm, Trauger, Ney & Tuke, with Byron Trauger, the Nashville attorney who is not only a close friend and political associate of Gov. Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, but reportedly remains friendly with Hillary Clinton, with whom he attended law school. Tuke also chairs the Kerry campaign's Tennessee finance committee.
Did Veterans for Kerry bring forged memos to help Kerry and get revenge on Bush for the Swift Boat Vets? The August 11 broadcast of Teddy Bart's Roundtable offers a tantalizing clue, but it is not conclusive. Bob Tuke needs to be asked some hard questions.
By the way, if anyone gets the idea to make the archived August 9 and September 11 broadcasts disappear down the memory hole, don't bother. I downloaded both files.
Full disclosure: I was an occasional guest on the Bart show a few years ago during the debate over Tennessee's tax structure, budget crisis and proposed state income tax. I have not been on the broadcast since late 2002. I never wore my jammies to the show. And the table is actually oval.
UPDATE: On today's show, Tuke denies having pre-knowledge of the coming of the CBS memos. He says he was referring to other documents later reported by the press.
So while it appears that Tuke may not have had pre-knowledge of the forged memos, it is clear the Democratic Party, or at least the Kerry campaign, is working hand-in-glove with the media to bash President Bush with stories about his National Guard service.
I don't get it. Over the past 12 months, there are probably many many instances of varying people on the left agitating that "Bush really did go AWOL, y'know. You just wait!"
But I just see that as posturing. Tuke didn't refer to anything that was going to be "revealed" in the memo that wasn't already publicly rumored. He didn't even say "document".
Posted by: at September 15, 2004 01:11 PM
"I never wore my jammies to the show. And the table is actually oval."
Yeah, I've heard than not only is the table not round but it's not particularly level--you have to be real careful that your coffee cup doesn't slide off the left side--wouldn't want to stain if not your jammies but whatever it is you wear to one of those things...
er...from the section quoted, Tuke says absolutely nothing about a document. Bart, a month after the interview, says Tuke "implied" there was going to be one forthcoming. On what basis he makes this assertion? Who knows...
Tuke, rather, implies that Bush avoided getting the physical because he was concerned about the new drug test requirement, with the further implication that Bush was doing drugs. If you're "clean," why worry about a physical exam in which you know you'll be tested for drugs?
Gimme a break...to this blog entry, to Bart, and to Tuke.
If the memos that were just released said "why isn't Bush showing up for his physical? Is it because we added drug testing now?" than, MAYBE, I would suspect Tuke of having read them at that point in time.
But they don't, and he didn't, and I won't.
Posted by: at September 15, 2004 01:48 PM
Nothing else explains Kerry going full Boy-Scout during his convention unless they knew they had this ammo to clobber Bush with after. It was a synchronized and hopefully (to them) synergistic effort that they assumed their compatriots in the media would be able to pull off without a hitch.
This one REALLY illustrates the folly of those who Ass-u-me.
There was a major screw-up and they got busted. The Democrats hoped that the information would be so inflammatory that any resistance could be passed off as right-wing blather. They never counted on it catching fire like it did. The other networks love it and are going to drive this thing home.
Posted by: Steve L. at September 15, 2004 03:21 PM
I am bit suspicious about CBS's memo.. However, I don’t seem to understand why there is so much bias against the democrats... I mean, no one seems to care doing some fact-checking on what, say, Fox News reports! Where is the balance??
Regards,
Bill Ainashe
Washington, DC
Posted by: Bill Ainashe at September 15, 2004 04:34 PM
Bill, w/in the past 3 months, a study came out about bias in the media. One of the profs was from either U of Chicago or Northwestern, IIRC, a link might be found in DailyPundit's archives.
The media was so far left that one needed to watch 2x as much Brit Hume to counteract the spin.
Even they were surprised. FoxNews is Center - Right, not extreme.
Besides, look @ FN's Nielsens, they barely pull in about 1m viewers a day.
So, why does a little cable station get so much vitriol and a movie against it?
Bill, just a heads-up. Memphis' WREC AM600 afternoon talk host Mike Fleming just picked up this story. He seems to have gotten his information from here (No source credit though.), but he gave a very badly garbled and embellished version.
He also appears not to have read your update, as he's pretty much crediting the Democratic Party with the Rather Memogate documents because of this.
Posted by: mike hollihan at September 15, 2004 04:50 PM
I mean, no one seems to care doing some fact-checking on what, say, Fox News reports! Where is the balance??
Perhaps you may have heard of this Michael Moore fellow... He made a little independent flick. Oh, and then there's another little gem, "Outfoxed" sponsored by Moore's little pet, moveon.org, which takes square aim at Fox. And let's not leave out Media Matters.
Sheesh. How hard did you look to find criticism?
Posted by: eric at September 15, 2004 04:52 PM
"Air Force changed its policy and decided to put drug testing into physical exams so now the speculation is out there about why would a person who has been serving for - supposedly serving for - three to four years in the Air National Guard as a pilot fail to show up for a physical so that he could maintain his flight certification status? Why?""
This makes things fall into place. This was a setup from day one. First they doctor up some memos from Killian 'ordering' Bush to take his physical--just in time for the new drug testing (the forger not realizing how out of step this was with TANG procedure). Then, follow it up with the libelous gossip about drug use in the Kitty Kelly book, the one-two punch of which they hoped to dominate the news cycle with for month or so, and then I bet they planned a final 'clincher', another (or perhaps many) forged document or surprise accuser just before the election (giving no time to refute the charges) that connected the dots, "he missed the physical _because_ he was _using cocaine_!!. Layering lie upon lie. It also explains why CBS has backed into such a foolish position, they hope the other two parts of the plan will get traction despite the first flopping.
We're all having so much trouble figuring why CBS could be so foolish as to defend a failed plot--perhaps it's because we assume the plot is finished, it may have just gotten started.
Either way you look at it CBS is involved in a fraud designed to undermine our democratic process.
Rather has identified the CBS source as a MALE that CBS (Matley or Rather) met "months prior" to see the "originals" and then again to obtain copies at an undisclosed meeting place.
The underlying theme in the CBS report and the latest DNC attack ads are that President Bush received special treatment to get into the Guard and that he did not complete his commitment of service. When I was in ROTC from 1972 to 1976, I learned that there are only three ways to get a commission in the U.S. military:
1. Study leadership, tactics, military history, etc. for 4 long years at one of the military academies.
2. Study leadership, tactics, military history, etc. for 4 long years in ROTC.
3. Get a direct commission with no training (note to self: requires political assistance and major connections)
Gee, I wonder how LTjg Kerry managed to get his commission in the Navy…
Additionally, by accepting a commission as an officer, I incurred a 6 year service obligation. If I spent 2 years on active duty, I had to spend another 4 in the Reserves. That was standard for that period. I wonder how long John Kerry spent in the Reserves after he was released from active duty? Anti-war rallies in uniform do count toward your reserve time, don’t they?
The Democrats think this crap will help them, but they fail to realize what Republicans already know:
Anything you try to pin to a Republican, a Democrat was caught doing it first, worse, and more often, and you defended him. You can't shock us, because your own party has shown how low human beings can really crawl.
Other ways exist, particularly in high-mobilization periods. President Bush gained his commission by earning his wings. All military airplane pilots are commissioned officers. I earned mine (1964) through the Air Force's Officer Training School at Lackland Air Force Base - a 90-day immersion program. Sen. Kerry's commission was through the Navy's counterpart (OCS or Officer Candidate School - a 120-day program). The Army had a similar structure. These were the venues through which enlisted people gained commissions, as did other college grads (my case) will skills required by the particular service.
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I disagree that Tuke was not highly placed enough in the Kerry campaign. Tuke, a Nashville attorney and former Marine Corps officer and Vietnam veteran, is - most significantly for this story is also the Tennessee state chairman of Veterans for Kerry, and a partner in a law firm, Trauger, Ney & Tuke, with Byron Trauger, the Nashville attorney who is not only a close friend and political associate of Gov. Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, but reportedly remains friendly with Hillary Clinton, with whom he attended law school. Tuke also chairs the Kerry campaign's Tennessee finance committee.
