Who Is Robert Mintz of "Texans For Truth"

Bob Mintz is the star of the new "Texans for Truth" ad, which bashes Bush on the Alabama AWOL story. He has been debunked by CBS (last paragraphs), and Patterico has more.

So, what is Mr. Mintz's background? We have no idea, yet.

But for a long-shot suggestion (*NOT* an allegation, please!), I am intrigued by a coincidence of unusual names - the Aug 16 Times tells us this about the Kerry campaign:

The fund-raisers also include at least a dozen lobbyists, lawyers and executives for the telecommunications and cable industries, which have been helped by some of Mr. Kerry's Senate votes. Among them are Mr. Kerry's brother, Cameron F. Kerry, and Mr. Kerry's former chief of staff, David Leiter. Both work for the Boston firm Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo...

...The employees at Mintz, Levin have been a top source of money for Mr. Kerry throughout his career, though that status will most likely be eclipsed by other organizations this year.

What are the odds? Here is the bio for Richard Mintz. It's not clear from this whether he has Southern roots, or any relatives who might have been in the Alabama National Guard.

If (I say *IF*) the star of the "Texans for Truth" ad turns out to be a cousin of the chairman of the law firm which raises big bucks for Kerry, and which employs Kerry's brother, well... OK, the Republic will not fall, but even the Times might note that as a troubling "web of connections".

Comments

[Crank]

Another silly question: Is Bob Mintz a Texan? He was in the Alabama National Guard, right? If he's not a Texan, how is he a member of this group?

[Thomas]

I'm surprised that a name partner of such a prominent firm is still alive.

Bob Mintz is a FedEx pilot living in Memphis, as I recall.

I doubt that double-Harvard Richard has much contact with anyone outside of the expected social circles.

[Appalled Moderate]

OK, tin foil guys. Have some fun here on this issue. See if you can establish any connections. Or maybe, you'll just discover the country is full of Mintzs.

[TM]

Hmm, I fooled around with that last night, thanks.

Are you suggesting that the question is absurd? A regular journalist could solve it with one or two phone calls - Bob Mintz ought to be available to the press, and I suspect he would divulge enough to satisfy what looks like a prefectly reasonable line of inquiry.

Of course, we don't even expect them to pick up the phone on this one.

And Richard Mintz, lawyer, went to Harvard, and stayed in Boston, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have family down South, or even came from there originally himself - Harvard attracts folks from all over, I understand.

[Appalled Moderate]

TM:

If they did check it, you wouldn't know it unless the results were positive, because otherwise there would be no story in it.

I think the question borders on absurd. I won't say it is, because both men were pilots, and that's possibly suggestive.

If the internet group mind is to work effectively, though, you need scandal trolls like me in the comments section, because otherwise your intellects will not have the proper stimulus applied to it.

[Jazz]

I watched the first interview with BoB Mintz the first time it ran last week and posted some observations on it. Basically, I thought they had the wrong guy for the job. (of doing that commercial.) I do believe he served at that Guard station at that time. You'd never cover that up. But he seemed so obviously coached with a prepared line to deliver, which he had practiced over and over. He was NOT a smooth, eloquent speaker at all, and as soon as the interviewer challenged him about any details, he fumbled completely and went back to repeating his talking point again, though far less convincingly. He didn't have a lot of credibility in my book when he was done. I guess that's unfair, because maybe he's just not a very good public speaker or lacks confidence before cameras, but I found him very questionable. And his explanation of how he *definitely* knew that Bush wasn't there sounded like the arguments of a five year old.

[TM]

If the internet group mind is to work effectively, though, you need scandal trolls like me in the comments section, because otherwise your intellects will not have the proper stimulus applied to it.

True - Guys (Gals?) like you are the best antidote to group-think type mistakes.

[TM]

If they did check it, you wouldn't know it unless the results were positive, because otherwise there would be no story in it.

I agree again, but... that needs to be balanced against the probability that they have not checked at all. Geez, TIME couldn't even figure out that CBS has already debunked this guy; Nick Kristof called Mintz a "compelling witness", and missed everything - my confidence that reporters are actually doing their homework on this is low.

[rod]

Bob Mintz is my uncle, he comes from a small rural town about 1 hr south of Huntsville, as did my mother (his sister) and he is as Southern as they come and he is in no way related to any lawyer muchless anybody working for the Kerry Campaign or any Harvard types. Most of us his relatives are pretty much Republicans and still live in the South, except for me. I am a Republican and I live on the West Coast.

Your speculation is more or less hyperbole - and about as accurate as the evening Dan Rather report. Bob Mintz is is a stright shooter and if he says he didn't see "W" then you can bet he didn't see him, but that doesn't mean that "W" wasn't ever around the 187th, as I have pointed out to him. But he wasn't around much, which I can accept.

Personally Bush is the man for the job despite whatever stupid mistakes he may have made in his twenties, maybe he did blow off his service in Alabama to a degree, but as most voters would agree he certainly has showed his mettle in the past 4 yrs. And if he had medals from his service, he sure as shite wouldn't be throwing them over a fence.

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