KOA morning news co-hosts allowed lawmaker's false claims regarding Clark, Obama

Summary: Co-hosts Steffan Tubbs and Mark Johnson of Colorado's Morning News on Newsradio 850 KOA failed to challenge the false assertion of their guest, state Rep. Bob Gardner, who referenced remarks by retired Gen. Wesley Clark in claiming that Sen. Barack Obama "has attacked the war record and service" of Sen. John McCain. In fact, Clark did not "attack" McCain's service but praised McCain as a hero.

On the July 2 broadcast of Colorado's Morning News, Newsradio 850 KOA co-anchors Steffan Tubbs and Mark Johnson uncritically allowed their guest, Republican state Rep. Bob Gardner (Colorado Springs), to claim, in a reference to remarks that retired Gen. Wesley Clark made on the June 29 edition of CBS' Face the Nation, "Senator Obama has attacked the war record and service of Senator McCain over the past couple of days." Gardner added that "that was done by his surrogates, but I think it's been planned by the campaign so that he can sort of hide behind his own profession of patriotism while a very honorable and heroic American is attacked by his surrogates."

As Colorado Media Matters noted after KOA host "Gunny" Bob Newman similarly misrepresented Clark's Face the Nation appearance, Clark did not "attack[]" McCain's service; he praised McCain as "a hero."

From the July 2 broadcast of Newsradio 850 KOA's Colorado's Morning News:

TUBBS: We had the story in the news of Barack Obama coming to Colorado today. Was it strategic in his choice to go down to Colorado Springs? Many people say absolutely yes. Representative, what do you think?

BOB GARDNER: Well, I think it's done more for national news than for Colorado Springs. It's interesting to read the press coverage, because the press coverage says that Barack Obama is bringing his campaign to Colorado. But he's having private events in Colorado Springs, because I think he knows his message and his actions of his campaign over the past several days don't resonate with Colorado voters, and particularly Colorado Springs voters, at all.

JOHNSON: Mmm. You know, Bob, you kind of stole my thunder there. I was thinking about that. Is he gonna find much of an audience down in the Springs, do you think?

GARNDER: Well, apparently he's clear that he's not gonna find any audience; he has invitation-only events, one at UCCS. And then he's got a wealthy liberal fundraiser this evening at the Broadmoor; even that is not large by Colorado Springs standards, I think maybe a couple hundred people. You know, Senator Obama has attacked the war record and service of Senator McCain over the past couple of days, and that was done by his surrogates, but I think it's been planned by the campaign so that he can sort of hide behind his own profession of patriotism while a very honorable and heroic American is attacked by his surrogates.

TUBBS: When you look at Barack Obama coming to the state of Colorado, just a few days ago, I'm sure you're aware, Governor Bill Ritter on Meet the Press said he was very confident Barack Obama can take the state of Colorado; what's your reaction to that?

GARDNER: Well, I guess Governor Ritter can be confident of anything he wants to. I believe the fact is that Colorado voters are going to reject Senator Obama and what are basically his flip-flops on various things. He's had a couple of opportunities to stay true to what he professes in his campaign. And he hasn't made good on either one of those. One, he promised that there would be a different kind of politics. And he promised that he wasn't gonna use any private financing, but only public financing, and he broke that promise. And he said he wasn't going to be attacking his opponent, that he was gonna talk about the issues; but he's used his surrogates to attack Senator McCain in the worst possible way.

JOHNSON: And Bob, before we let you go here, you bring up the comments made by Wesley Clark here a couple of days ago, as you termed it, his "surrogates." What was your response when you heard one retired military man make those comments about John McCain, another retired military man?

GARDNER: Well, I was just astounded. Senator McCain is someone who served honorably in the most difficult positions that is imaginable, and heroically. And the idea that General Clark would attack that, would demean that -- and the fact that Senator Obama wouldn't really disavow that, he hasn't at all -- tells me that that's the kind of campaign that Senator Obama wants to run, and that's not going to resonate with Colorado's voters. So, I'm equally confident that Colorado is going to elect John McCain as our next president.

Gardner's claim that Clark had "attack[ed]" and "demean[ed]" McCain's military service repeats a widespread misrepresentation of the exchange between Clark and Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer. In a June 30 press release calling on the media to "set the record straight" on Clark's remarks, Media Matters for America noted that in response to Schieffer's observation that, unlike McCain, Sen. Barack Obama (D) has not "ridden in a fighter plane and gotten shot down," Clark stated, "I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president." Shortly before Schieffer's statement, Clark had praised McCain's service, calling him "a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands of millions of others in the Armed Forces as a prisoner of war."

—E.B.