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John McCain's Honesty PDF Print E-mail
Written by Fact Checker Chris Carlson   

John McCain has spent decades building up a reputation as an honorable man, willing to fight the system, willing to do what's right even if it cost him politically. Whether that reputation was deserved or not is a question for historians, but it seems that now, as he is making his run for president, John McCain has decided that doing the right thing and being honest are far less important than winning. In the short time since John McCain named Sarah Palin as his running mate, his campaign has produced a constant flood of mis- and dis-information, exaggerating and flat-out lying about both the record of Governor Palin and the record of Senator Obama.

Harsh advertisements and negative attacks are a staple of presidential campaigns, but Senator John McCain has drawn an avalanche of criticism this week from Democrats, independent groups and even some Republicans for regularly stretching the truth in attacking Senator Barack Obama’s record and positions...

New York Times - McCain Barbs Stirring Outcry as Distortions

NEW YORK -- John McCain got it wrong Friday when he asserted that his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, had not requested any earmarks, the spending directives lawmakers insert in spending bills that McCain has vowed to eliminate.

Palin, in fact, requested $198 million in federal earmarks in February, including such expenses as $487,000 to fight obesity in Alaska and $4 million to develop recreational trails.

Los Angeles Times - McCain Wrong on Palin Earmarks

Sen. John McCain has drawn an avalanche of criticism this week from Democrats, independent groups and some Republicans for regularly stretching the truth in attacking Sen. Barack Obama's record and positions.

Obama also has been accused of distortions, but McCain is under fire for two headline-grabbing attacks. First, the McCain campaign twisted Obama's words to suggest he had compared GOP vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin to a pig after Obama questioned McCain's claim to be a change agent by saying, "You can put lipstick on a pig; it's still a pig." (McCain has used the same expression to describe Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's health plan.)

He then falsely claimed that Obama supported "comprehensive sex ed" for kindergartners. (Obama supported teaching them to be alert for inappropriate advances from adults.)

 

Seattle Times - McCain Lambasted for Inaccuracies

In a televised interview Friday, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin defended her request for an estimated $200 million in federal projects from Congress - even as earlier in the day her GOP running mate John McCain insisted Palin had never sought money from Congress.

 

San Francisco Chronicle - Palin, McCain Contradict Each Other on Spending

THE AD

He was the world's biggest celebrity, but his star's fading. So they lashed out at Sarah Palin. Dismissed her as "good-looking." That backfired, so they said she was doing "what she was told." Then desperately called Sarah Palin a liar. How disrespectful. And how Governor Sarah Palin proves them wrong, every day.

ANALYSIS

This John McCain commercial, which contains two significant distortions, is part of a larger effort to rule criticism of his running mate out of bounds and to paint her as the victim of unfair attacks from both Democrats and the media.

Washington Post - McCain Wraps Distortions Around One Truth

After taking in some of Charles Gibson’s interviews with the Republican vice-presidential nominee, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, Paul Begala sounded ready to cast his vote.

"I thought one person on my television screen looked ready to assume the presidency," Mr. Begala, the CNN commentator, said by telephone on Friday. "It wasn’t Governor Palin."

New York Times - Palin Reviews Are In, and Gibson Got a...

For more on John McCain's incorrect claim that Sarah Palin has sought no earmarks as governor, click here. The Associated Press reports that Ms. Palin "asked for nearly $200 million in targeted spending for the 2009 fiscal year."

Along the same lines, McClatchy declares a new Republican ad "out of bounds" for its claim that Ms. Palin "vetoed nearly half a billion dollars in wasteful spending and cut earmark requests by hundreds of millions of dollars." While technically true, McClatchy says, the ad takes the remark out of context enough that its meaning is distorted.

Dallas Morning News - Fact Check: McCain on Palin and Earmarks


The preceding list was compiled by Chris Carlson, originally posted on dailykos.com

 


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