Sorting Out McCain's and Obama's Spin, Exaggerations—and Worse
Social Security at risk
The Claim: A foreboding ad from Barack Obama's campaign alleges that if John McCain had his way, "privatizing Social Security," retirees would be in deep trouble with today's economic crisis.
The Reality: McCain supported President Bush's plan to allow people to privately invest some of their Social Security payroll deduction in the stock market or other investment funds. But the program was to be voluntary, wouldn't affect current retir-ees, and was never enacted.
Sex ed for kindergartners
The Claim: A McCain campaign ad claims Obama's sole accomplishment on education was introducing legislation as an Illinois state senator "to teach comprehensive sex education to kindergartners."
The Reality: This ad has been roundly attacked as a gross distortion and singled out as perhaps the worst of this election season. The portion of the sex-ed bill geared toward youngsters was aimed at teaching them how to protect themselves from predators.
100 years of war in Iraq
The Claim: Obama frequently quotes McCain as saying that he would be willing to stay in Iraq for 100 years. The remark came in January in response to a query about whether troops would be needed for 50 more years. McCain replied, "Make it a hundred."
The Reality: Obama ignores the rest of the answer. McCain went on to say that he was fine with 100 years "as long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed," comparing it to Japan or Korea.
The Bridge to Nowhere
The Claim: Echoing McCain's attacks on pork-barrel spending, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin claims that she said "thanks but no thanks" to the "Bridge to Nowhere." The project, funded by a congressional earmark, would have sent federal tax dollars to Alaska to build a bridge to connect two sparsely populated areas served by a ferry.
The Reality: Palin supported the project until it became a symbol of the kind of wasteful earmarks McCain has long opposed.
Reader Comments
Antonio in NY
Thank you, thank you. I have been saying all along that that most small businesses do not have PROFITS of $250,000 or more after all expenses. My father had a small business (cabinet maker). After materials, pay for workers, insurance, and other overhead expenses, his "salary" was a fraction of his intake. If a small business owner can still have a gross salary of $250,000, he is just the same as someone working for a company. All this McCain saying half the small business would have increased taxes according to Obama's tax plan is ridiculous. How can anyone believe it?
Although I have no desire to vote for McCain, if he had chosen a suitable running mate, at least I would not worry about this country if he won. That he wanted someone else for VP but listened to his advisers shows he is not his own person. Sarah Palin was chosen because with the McCain camp it is all about the campaign, not the country. Didn't someone say that about Obama?
seeing clearly
Since the media has no method to convince anyone there is any truth left we are on our own to determine the truth for ourselves. cling to your gins and your religion for god's book still has truth and love in it.
RE: They are all guilty
Rob of FL wrote about Barack Obama:
"A man harboring deep emotional scars that will drag our country down to his level."
If you ask me, this better describes John McCain. Anyone who endured 5 1/2 years in a concentration camp would be emotionally scarred.
That probably helps us understand why he has flip-flopped through his entire adult life. First with Charles Keating who, by the way, was responsible for generating 30 percent of John McCain's campaign revenue for his initial election as a Democrat to the US House of Representatives. Not to mention the Keating 5 scandel.
McCain's emotional scars can be attributed to his infidelity with his first wife as well, I'm sure. Heck, who wouldn't go after an extremely wealthy beautiful blonde who knew full-well he was married at the time of their indiscretions. Of course, his first wife was also a beuatiful woman, a famous swimwear model that he fathered 3 children with but left in a lurch when she was disfigured in a terrible automobile crash while he was a prisoner of war. So, Mr. Righteous-Family-Values flip-flopped with his marriage too.
Not to mention how he flip-flopped with the last 3 churches he belonged to, each time moving into a church that represented greater potential for more campaign contributions from its members.
So, yeah, the man is scarred emotionally. He is just a cranky old man who goes wherever the beauty and money steer him.
He's scarred and shallow.
And, of course, why wouldn't he pick a beauty queen for a running mate in this election. That's just the way he is.
Sic.
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