The Fact-Checker, by Michael Dobbs

Gov Watch

Golf-gate!

Kennebunkport, MA, July 6, 2002.

"I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the Commander-in-Chief playing golf. I feel I owe it to the families to be as -- to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal... I remember when [Sergio Vieira] de Mello, who was at the U.N., got killed in Baghdad as a result of these murderers taking this good man's life. And I was playing golf -- I think I was in central Texas -- and they pulled me off the golf course and I said, 'it's just not worth it any more to do.'"
--George Bush, interview with Politico,

The president is taking a lot of heat for his claim, in an interview with Politico, that he gave up golf "in solidarity" with the families of service members killed in Iraq and elsewhere. He said he took the decision following the assassination of the United Nations representative in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, on August 19, 2003. But there are a few problems with his chronology.

The Facts

George W. Bush played golf fairly regularly when he first became president, both before and after the invasion of Iraq in March 2003. Golf professionals praised him for his "smooth swing" and his 15 handicap. He would sometimes interrupt his golf game for impromptu back and forth with reporters, as on this occasion, on August 4, 2002, in Kennebunkport, Maine, when he denounced the latest suicide bombings in Israel.

After calling on "all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers," Bush returned to the business at hand with barely a pause. "Thank you. Now watch this drive."

He was playing golf near his Crawford, Texas, ranch, five months after the invasion of Iraq when the shocking news arrived of the bomb attack on United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, and the death of the U.N. representative, Sergio de Mello. On this occasion, Bush interrupted his golf game on the eleventh tee, and returned to the ranch to put on a suit before denouncing the bombers as "enemies of the civilized world."

Bush played golf at least two times at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland after de Mello's death. The first occasion was on September 28, when his partners included Senator Don Nickles (R-Okla) and Representative John Boehner (R-Ohio), according to an AP report. The next occasion was on Columbus Day, October 13, when he played with his old Andover/Yale chum, Clay Johnson, and Richard Hauser, general counsel with the Department of Housing and Urban Development. According to the AP, his tee-off shot went into the rough.

Some bloggers have speculated that Bush's real reason for giving up golf is connected with his knee problems, which flared up in December 2003, and caused him to abandon his normal jogging routine.

The Pinocchio Test

I am not competent to judge the real reason for President Bush's decision to give up golf. But the fact that he played golf twice after the assassination of de Mello casts doubt on the explanation he gave to Politico. If the White House provides any further elaboration, I will post it.

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Posted at 12:18 PM ET on May 15, 2008 | Permalink | Post a Comment
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Candidate Watch

Did he really say that?

A Palestinian shepherd and Israeli settlements

"Israel is a critical American ally and a beacon of democracy in the Middle East, not a 'constant sore' as Barack Obama claims. Obama's latest remark, and his commitment to 'opening a dialogue' with sponsors of terrorism, echoes past statements by Jimmy Carter who once called Israel an 'apartheid state.' It's another sign that Obama is part of the broken Washington Americans are rejecting."
--House Republican leader John Boehner, press release, May 12, 2008

Did Barack Obama call Israel a "constant sore," as Republican leaders are claiming? Both House Republican leader John Boehner and Deputy Minority Whip Eric Cantor have taken the Democratic frontrunner to task for allegedly saying that Israel was a "constant wound" in U.S. foreign policy. The right-wing blogosphere is lending its voice to the chorus. But a fair-minded reading of Obama's remarks shows that his comment has been taken completely out of context.

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Posted at 11:28 AM ET on May 13, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (140)
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Web Watch

Bush's Brain on Bush's Heart

The most unpopular president?

"Get your facts right -- there are at least three president who had worse approval ratings [than George W. Bush]: Truman, Johnson and Nixon."
--Karl Rove
on-line Washingtonpost.com chat , May 7, 2008

In a post last week, I faulted Karl Rove for slapping down a Washingtonpost.com reader who claimed that his old boss George W. Bush is the "most unpopular" president in U.S. history. The reader was citing a Gallup poll showing that Bush's disapproval rating reached an all-time high of 69 percent in April, the highest figure ever recorded for a president. He was followed by Truman at 67 percent and Nixon at 66 percent.

I have now received a more detailed explanation from Rove for his interpretation of the Gallup poll, which I am posting in slightly abbreviated form, along with the comments of two leading pollsters.

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Posted at 12:24 PM ET on May 12, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (23)
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MSM Watch

The Tuskegee Experiment, Part II

Rosie O'Donnell

"The government did give syphilis to black Americans for 40 years. What [Rev. Jeremiah Wright] was saying is in his history, in his genetic memory, he knows what it's like for the government to infect his own people. Because he lived through those Tuskegee experiments."
--Rosie O'Donnell, May 5, NBC Today Show.

Some myths are practically impossible to eradicate, particularly when they are repeated by trusted public figures. Long before the Rev. Jeremiah Wright talked about the U.S. government using the AIDS virus as a means of genocide against African-Americans, prominent commentators made equally fallacious assertions about the Tuskegee syphilis study. The list of people claiming that the government deliberately infected African-Americans with syphilis includes Wright, Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings--and now Rosie O'Donnell.

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Posted at 6:00 AM ET on May 9, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (124)
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Web Watch

How Unpopular Is George Bush?

Karl Rove and friend.

Columbus, Ohio: You boldly predicted that Bush's approval ratings would rebound -- instead he is, according to Gallup, the most unpopular president in history. Will you finally admit that your vision for this nation has been overwhelmingly rejected by the majority of the people?
Karl Rove: Get your facts right -- there are at least three president who had worse approval ratings, Truman, Johnson and Nixon. I'm absolutely positive history will be kind to this president, who made the right decisions in a difficult time for this nation. --Karl Rove online washingtonpost.com chat, May 7, 2008

Karl Rove, the much-acclaimed "architect" of George W. Bush's 2000 and 2004 election victories, claimed that a Washington Post reader got his facts wrong during an online discussion Wednesday. But the Gallup organization does indeed report that Bush's disapproval rating reached an all-time high of 69 percent in April, the highest figure ever recorded for a president.

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Posted at 11:55 AM ET on May 8, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (195)
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Candidate Watch

A Geppetto for Bill Clinton

Clinton rally, Indianapolis, Ind., May 6, 2008.

"Tonight we've come from behind, we've broken the tie, and thanks to you it's full speed on to the White House."
--Hillary Clinton, May 6, 2008.

Brave, defiant words from Hillary Clinton. But observe the facial expressions. For many people watching television on Tuesday night, the most striking impression from the Clinton victory rally in Indiana was not the words that came out of Hillary's mouth, but the look on Bill's face. It was the look of a man who knows that a dream is slipping away.

The Facts

Try this experiment. Take a look at this extract from Clinton's speech in Indianapolis with the volume turned down. Watch the expressions on the faces of Hillary, Bill and Chelsea, and let me know what you think.

Here is what I saw. A candidate with a mask of upbeat determination on her face, who knows deep down that the game is lost but is still on auto-pilot, unwilling to accept defeat. A proud and loving daughter who will support her mother to the very end. An exhausted spouse who is sick at heart because he knows, from his vast political experience, that the fight is over. He dutifully applauds at the right moments and occasionally punches his fist in the air, but his face reveals his true feelings.

Even as the hope of a miraculous upset faded away, Hillary still came across as the energizer bunny, running on batteries that never seem to wind down. After giving it his all, in dozens of small town meetings across North Carolina and Indiana, Bill looked as if all the energy had suddenly been drained out of him.

The Pinocchio Test

The Fact Checker will no doubt be ridiculed by many readers for checking facial expressions, rather than verifiable facts. But sometimes body language can be more eloquent than the most stirring rhetoric. The look on Bill Clinton's face said it all, qualifying for a Geppetto for agonized, heartfelt honesty.

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Posted at 10:30 AM ET on May 7, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (127)
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Candidate Watch

Gas Tax Wars

The gasoline wars between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have been heating up to coincide with the Indiana and North Carolina primaries. The airwaves are full of charges and counter-charges over Clinton's plan for a three month gas holiday between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Obama says the idea is simply an election day "gimmick"; Clinton claims her plan will save hard-working American families $8 billion a year. An examination of the fine print in the latest round of TV ads shows that both sides have been stretching the facts.

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Posted at 6:00 AM ET on May 6, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (78)
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