http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/05/22/trail-of-tall-tales-john-mccain/
Trail of Tall Tales: John McCain
by FOXNews.com
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Tuesday: John McCain gives a thumbs up as he drinks a coffee
at Cafe Versailles in Miami. (AP Photo)
http://elections.foxnews.com/files/2008/05/mccain_fla_052108.jpg
Editor’s Note: This is the second in a three-part series focusing on
misstatements, prevarications and falsehoods proclaimed by the three major
presidential candidates.
Click here to read Part One: Hillary Clinton.
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/05/21/trail-of-tall-tales-hillary-clinton/
Sen. John McCain has long presented himself as that rare bird in politics:
an
inveterate straight-shooter. But does campaign strain have McCain’s
Straight
Talk Express veering off course?
A string of incidents stemming from the senator’s two presidential runs
suggests he’s no less fallible than any other candidate — and just as
capable
of adjusting facts to suit his purpose.
1. Confederate Flag Over South Carolina Capitol, April 19, 2000
During the run-up to the South Carolina Republican primary in February
2000,
McCain was asked whether he felt the Confederate flag should be removed
from
atop the statehouse.
Non-truth: McCain stated publicly that it was up to South Carolinians to
decide.
Truth: Two months later McCain said he believed “the flag should be
removed”
from the Capitol. “I feared that if I answered honestly, I could not win
the
South Carolina primary. So I chose to compromise my principles,” he said.
“I
broke my promise to always tell the truth.”
Source: “Excerpts from McCain’s Remarks on Confederate Flag,” New York
Times,
April 20, 2000.
2. Economics Expertise, Jan. 27, 2008
Non-truth: When confronted with his own remarks about his economic prowess
during a Republican primary debate, McCain said, “I don’t know where you
got
that quote from. I’m very well versed in economics.” In a later interview
on
NBC, McCain added that he’s “very strong on the economy.”
Truth: McCain was asked about a quote he gave The Wall Street Journal in a
November 2005 interview in which he admitted he lacked expertise on
economic
issues. The quote read: “I’m going to be honest: I know a lot less about
economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. … I still
need
to be educated.”
McCain told re****ters in December 2007, “The issue of economics is not
something I’ve understood as well as I should.”
Sources: “‘Reform. Reform. Reform.’ John McCain Explains His Eclectic–and
Troubling–Economic Philosophy,” Wall Street Journal, Nov. 26, 2005; NBC
GOP
presidential debate exchange, Jan. 24, 2008; “Meet the Press,” NBC, Jan.
27,
2008.
3. Safety in Baghdad, March 26, 2007
Non-truth: During an April 2007 visit to Baghdad, McCain said in
interviews
that “General (David) Petraeus goes out there (in Baghdad) almost every
day in
an unarmored Humvee.” He also said, “There are neighborhoods in Baghdad
where
you and I could walk through those neighborhoods today.”
Truth: There are no unarmored Humvees in Iraq. McCain later admitted that
he
had misspoken regarding public safety in Baghdad. “Of course, I am going
to
misspeak and I’ve done it on numerous occasions and I probably will do it
in
the future,” he said. “I regret that when I divert attention to something
I
said from my message, but you know, that’s just life.”
Sources: “McCain Misspoke on Baghdad Security, He Says,” New York Times,
April
8, 2007; “60 Minutes,” CBS, April 8, 2007.
4. Abortion Stance, Aug. 19, 1999
Non-truth: McCain told The San Francisco Chronicle that “in the short-term
or
even in the long-term I would not sup****t repeal of Roe v. Wade, which
would
then force X number of women in America to [undergo] illegal and dangerous
operations.”
Truth: McCain soon after released a statement saying that he has always
opposed Roe v. Wade and “as president, I would work toward its repeal.”
McCain
has a near 0 percent lifetime rating from NARAL, a national abortion
rights
group.
Sources: “McCain Softens Abortion Stand,” Wa****ngton Post, Aug. 24, 1999;
“Capital Gang,” CNN, Aug. 28, 1999.
5. Conversation with Kerry, May 15, 2004
During the 2004 presidential campaign, speculation was widespread that
Sen.
John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic nominee, had asked McCain to join
him
as his running mate in the general election.
Non-truth: McCain told The New York Times that Kerry made no such offer,
and
when asked whether the two had ever discussed the possibility, even
casually,
McCain said, after pausing, “No. We really haven’t.”
Truth: McCain was asked again in 2008 about his re****ted conversation with
Kerry, and told The New York Times, “I mean it’s well known. Everybody
knows,
it’s been well chronicled a thousand times that John Kerry asked if I
would
consider being his running mate.”
Sources: “Undeterred by McCain Denials, Some See Him as Kerry’s No. 2,”
New
York Times, May 15, 2004; “McCain Asked About 2004 Conversation with
Kerry,”
New York Times, March 7, 2008.
6. Al Qaeda and Iran, March 18, 2008
During a March 2008 visit to Jordan, McCain aired his concerns about ties
between Al Qaeda and Iran.
Non-truth: McCain said that it was “common knowledge and has been re****ted
in
the media that Al Qaeda is going back into Iran and receiving training and
are
coming back into Iraq from Iran.”
Truth: McCain had to be corrected a moment later by his Senate colleague
Joseph Lieberman, and quickly amended his statement. “I’m sorry, the
Iranians
are training extremists, not Al Qaeda,” he said. McCain also made a
similar
comment a day earlier on the Hugh Hewitt radio show. It went uncorrected.
Sources: “A McCain Gaffe in Jordan,” Wa****ngton Post, March 18 2008; “John
McCain on Iraq, Iran and the Middle East from Amman, Jordan,” The Hugh
Hewitt
Radio Show, March 17, 2008.
7. Ties to Lobbying Firms, Feb. 21, 2008
The New York Times published a story about McCain’s connections to Vicki
Iseman, a lobbyist for the firm Alcalde & Fay. The Times re****ted that
McCain
had written to the FCC at Iseman’s behest to aid one of her clients,
Paxson
Communications.
Non-Truth: McCain’s campaign wrote in an e-mail to re****ters, “No
representative of Paxson or Alcalde & Fay personally asked Senator McCain
to
send a letter to the FCC.”
Truth: McCain gave a sworn deposition five years earlier in which he said,
“I
was contacted by Mr. Paxson on this issue. . . . I’m sure I spoke with
him,
yes.”
Sources: “For McCain, Self-Confidence on Ethics Poses Its Own Risk,” New
York
Times, Feb. 21, 2008; “A Hole in McCain’s Defense?” Newsweek, Feb. 22,
2008.
8. Attack Ads, Feb. 23, 2000
During the run-up to the Michigan primary in February 2000, the McCain
campaign sponsored a telephone campaign that painted George W. Bush as an
anti-Catholic bigot for courting the sup****t of the evangelical Bob Jones
University in South Carolina.
Non-truth: McCain denied to re****ters that his campaign had anything to do
with the calls.
Truth: McCain later admitted under repeated questioning that his campaign
was
responsible for the calls, but that their content had been so
mischaracterized
by the press that he did not recognize the calls as his own.
Sources: “McCain Campaign Admits Calls to Catholics,” New York Times, Feb.
23,
2000; “Straight Smear Express,” Wa****ngton Times, Feb. 28, 2000.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comment by janicedtang
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:53 pm
It is really a shame that is does not seem that none of them are totally
honest……put them all in a bag….and think of who would serve their country
the
best in this time of uncertainty.
Good luck to all.
Comment by Nole
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:25 pm
#7 is not a contradiction. He could have spoken to someone and still not
have
been asked to send a letter. Additionally, the letter referenced was
completely neutral. It merely asked the FCC to make a decision and
specifically stated that he did not have an interest in what that decision
might be, but that the FCC had an obligation to act. So I don’t understand
listing this item. It is neither a fabritcation, misstatement or
non-truth. It
appears that the writer/editor needed 8 items, so this was #7.
Comment by Jerry
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:25 am
It’s not so much the actual mis-statements/lies being revealed to us in
this
process which should cause concern at this point, but, to the discerning
individual, it should be more about how they spin or don’t spin
mis-statements/lies. Looking closely at each candidate through that lens
now
is far more revealing as to each person’s character.
Comment by Soldier
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:18 am
In regards to Non-Truth #3, I’m sitting at Camp Victory in Baghdad as I
write
this. There are at least 3 unarmored HMMWV’s (Humvees as you people call
them)
sitting outside in the parking lot. We use them everyday. Of course, they
are
not used on patrols, but none the less, they are here. I think that
demonstrates how easy it is to find “un-truths” by twisting things or
taking
them out of context. Fox News’ “TRUTH” about there being no unarmored
HMMWV’s
is in fact an “UN-TRUTH.” As far as the rest of #3 is concerned, it’s
absurd
to believe a General officer would go outside the wire in an un-armored
vehicle.
Comment by Tommy J
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:00 am
Is that it? That’s the best you could come up with. McCain hasn’t lied to
the
AG or to a court of law? Shame on you Sen. McCain. I am putting you in
“time
out” for 30 minutes. There it’s all settled. Now what punishment do we
give
HRC?
2008 FOX News Network, LLC.
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