That is, unless you were a member of Foghat. And it wasn’t just the odd pairing by the Washington insider column with Travis and Womack that got the band’s attention.

According to the August 23 “Washington Whispers” column in the news mag, “Bushies say that several performers, including Womack, Travis and ’70s rockers Foghat, have offered to tour to offset Bruce Springsteen‘s pro-(John) Kerry tour with fellow performers Jackson Browne, Pearl Jam, Bonnie Raitt, R.E.M., and others.”

Foghat moved quickly to dispel the rumor after being tipped off by FOX News talking head Tony Snow.

“I had no idea, really, how it happened,” Foghat drummer Roger Earl told Pollstar, “but it would appear that George Bush’s press secretary met some of our people on a flight – some of our road crew. That’s the only thing I could think of. But they’re all Democrats. They’re not going to say, ‘Yeah, we’ll come play for George!'”

Earl said the band was “confused and bemused” by the report, as the band isn’t particularly noted for its interest in politics. And while Foghat is currently on tour, it’s hardly a political stump.

“Tony Snow’s show in (Washington) D.C. were the ones that called and said they heard we were going on tour with George, and would we like to come on the show? And I said, ‘No. And we’re not.’ We’re not supporting George and we’re not coming on your show.’ And he said ‘Oh,’ and that was it.”

But just to show the band has its sense of humor intact, Earl added, “Now, Bruce and Bonnie for president; I’d vote for them – if I could vote (Earl is a U.K. national). I’d go out and jam with those people, no problem. And how about Eddie Vedder for vice president? That could be dangerous.”

In a press release denying the rumor, Foghat “refused to speculate on what the fact-checkers at US News & World Report might have been smoking the day they were putting the magazine together.”

Ironically, a search of the mag’s Web site for the Foghat item produced a page topped by a banner ad displaying a familiar-looking leaf graphic and the question: “Is marijuana really so bad?”

Perhaps part of the mystery has been solved.