MORE RE: MRS. KNOX [Jed Babbin] Tell us about your SON. Who got special treatment, Mrs. Knox?

NRO ^ | 16 September 2004 | Jed Babbin

[NavySEAL F-16]

MORE RE: MRS. KNOX [Jed Babbin] Just spoke to another one of Dubya's squadron mates from the 111th. (I don't know how to do superscripts on e-mail). He passed on the Question of the Day for Mrs. Knox: You said that Mr. Bush got into the National Guard on the basis of preferential treatment "...because there were a lot of other boys in there the same way." Does that include your son, Ted, who joined the squadron in about 1972? Posted at 01:47 PM

[Samwise]

Having a press manufacture evidence to attempt to undermine a sitting President has serious ramifications

This is the Janet Jackson moment for the networks.

[gridlock]

It should be very easy to verify if she was Killian's secretary, or just a pool typist. If it's the latter, she has absolutely zero credibility.

If I remember my mid-70s typing experience correctly, it used to be customary to put the uppercase initials of the sender and the lowercase initials of the typist in the lower left hand corner of the first page of any letter.

If the TANG followed this convention, and Knox was the typist, then all of Killian's letters should all have JK:mk at the bottom of the first page.

[gubamyster]

I understand all that & why it is important. What I'm wondering is was she actually asked & did she have to answer the question?

[OldFriend]

And Connie Chung lost her job for that so called indiscretion.

Why does Dan still reign at Cee BS.

[Jaxter]

I just emailed Mr. Babbin instructions on how to do superscripts in email and to my surprise I received a reply in about ten minutes. He thanked me but said he thought it was more trouble than it was worth.

[truthchaser]

I'm sure Dan and company know about this little tidbit and they coached Mrs Knox accordingly. I'm not looking at the transcpript, but wasn't her response to Dan's question/lead something to the effect "it was at that time". In other words, when President Bush joined the unit, it was full of privileged sons, but when her son joined it was no longer like that.

[Verginius Rufus]

It may matter what her son's draft lottery number was--if it was low and he was facing the prospect of being drafted, or if he was safe from the draft and just wanted to serve in the National Guard. By 1972 the troop levels in Vietnam were pretty low so he may not have had to worry about being sent to Vietnam.

[NavySEAL F-16]

No, she was not asked this question.

It's really a rhetorical question. The question came from a former member of the 111th that knows about Mrs. Knox's son. She was in the secretarial pool and her son later got a position at the Guard.

Does that help?

[NavySEAL F-16]

lol. Good for him. I bet Mr. Babbin follows the blogs and Free Republic.

[Grampa Dave]

"Meantime, Kerry's getting no press time. Is he still running for President?"

Kerry who, and who is his Veep candidate?

[Kozak]

Worried Dems say it shows lack of discipline, lack of strategy, lack of message and freelancing — just what a slipping campaign can't afford.

Gee what a surprise from a party that pretty much loathes all those martial qualities like discipline and tactical and strategic thinking? Maybe if they had more members with a background besides protesting wars?

[dfwgator]

Worried Dems say it shows lack of discipline, lack of strategy, lack of message and freelancing — just what a slipping campaign can't afford.

"It's the candidate, stupid."

[gubamyster]

Thank you.

[catonsville]

Government personnel files should show her status. And if she is recieving a civil service pension than her file is definitely in existence.

[leftcoaster]

Sorry, but how can Mrs. Knox, or any of the other players in this drama have any standing to talk about Bush's TANG service? None of them were even in the same plane with him.

[q_an_a]

READ FARTHER DOWN ON THIS BLOG---There is an Opus cartoon of 14 years ago where Rather interviews himself!! Too funny.

[TASMANIANRED]

Is Mz Knox son still living. I would suspect if he is still among the still breathing that he mst have a contrary opinion to his mom. He'd have been trotted out already if he agreed with her.

[NavySEAL F-16]

Maybe he's the one who sent the e-mail! Wouldn't that be funny? (Watch this start another rumor.) I meant this as a joke!

[DmBarch]

It may matter what her son's draft lottery number was--if it was low and he was facing the prospect of being drafted, or if he was safe from the draft and just wanted to serve in the National Guard. By 1972 the troop levels in Vietnam were pretty low so he may not have had to worry about being sent to Vietnam.

http://www.sss.gov/lotter3.htm This shows that up to #95 of persons born in 1952 were drafted in 1972. Those were the last folks drafted - lotteries were held for later birth years, but no one was taken. John Edwards was born in 1953, so he was not subject to the draft.

[Verginius Rufus]

We don't know what year her son was born--that would have a bearing on what his lottery number was. He may have had a college deferment, or he could have not gone to college and been vulnerable to the draft...or he could have already served in the army and decided to join the National Guard. We don't have enough information and I doubt that it is worth pursuing...this is too peripheral.

After all, it is the Democrats who want to keep talking about Bush's National Guard service, and even if they have to admit the documents are forgeries, they may have implanted in some undecided voters' minds the idea that Bush did something wrong.

On the other hand, if the forgeries can be linked to the DNC or to Kerry, that could really help Bush.