The Fact-Checker, by Michael Dobbs

Maybe the Post should look up the difference between "ally" and "enemy"?

I notice how the so called "Main Media" forgot to mention
"Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, Iran."
It seams the media has a man crush on McCain.

The whole premise of the Obama campaign folly is like a bad Abba song: "Take a chance, take a chance, take a chance on me."

Some commentators speculated yesterday that Obama is more hawkish on going after al-Qaeda than McCain. But this is apparently not the case. I asked McCain's foreign policy aide, Randy Scheunemann, if the senator supported the attack on al-Libi? "Yes," he replied briskly. Even if there was no prior consultation with the Pakistani government? "Yes."

--John McCain, rally in Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 19, 2008.

==================================

Sounds like the old-school double speak that is the status quo in American politics.

It seems obvious that McCain brings this up only as an attempt to play the fear card against Sen. Obama.

He supported the same thing, which he is accusing Sen. Obama of saying he would do.

This is not what Sen. Obama said at all.

More mud in an attempt to confuse Americans. Same old same old...

John McCain pushed the limits of "misleading" on this one.

Fact Checker has pushed the limits of "Fact Checking" for the entire existence of this column.

Thanks for the bait and switch, your question was "Has McCain summarized Obama's position accurately?"

This is clearly a four pinocchio assessment. You know why? Because John McCain has summarized George W. Bush's position accurately.

"We will starve terrorists of funding, turn them one against another, drive them from place to place, until there is no refuge or no rest. And we will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism."

Spin this and you prove once again, that the Fact Checker has all the objectiveity of the Spanish Inquisition.

Obama is doing the opposite of TR here, he's talking tough but carries no stick.

Does anyone think that if elected, Obama would actually invade ANY country? We'd have to have a uniformed army send infantry into a large U.S. city before Obama would go to those lengths.

He won't even bomb anyone, short of an attack of 9/11's magnitude.

Obama's speech was a phony show of strength cloaking his future penchant for inaction. He sounds like John Edwards ("We should remain on the offensive......the War on Terror is a bumper sticker!") much of the time.

Obama used weasel words to couch his 'bold' future plan. "Actionable" intelligence is in the eye of the beholder, and a beholder inclinded to do nothing will always doubt that intelligence is actionable. If you remember Bill Clinton's failure to pull the trigger when the CIA had OBL on a platter, Obama should sound familiar.

Sure the Iraq war has cost a lot of blood and treasure. But that's no excuse for a candidate to echo the biggest failures of the 1990s as a policy goal.

Three pinocchios for Obama for talking tough with obvious misleading intentions.

How is saying "Obama says he'll bomb Pakistan" a distortion? Oh, because Obama meant "terrorists in Pakistan's territory" vs "bomb Pakistan the country". Give me a break. You get 5 Pinocchio's for deceitfulness. If England bombs a Virginia group of Larouche anti-English wackos, somehow it's not bombing America, the country?

McCain suggesting Obama would "invade" Pakistan deserves a Pinocchio, but you quote his changed remark in his speech. You gave him 2 Pinocchio's for the speech, saying it distorted Obama's position. I disagree.

It was the Capital Steps who changed the lyrics! Mind you, it's always dangerous for a politician to engage in satire. Remember Reagan's comment about bombing the Soviet Union?

BB

Has Cindy McCain had a face lift?

I would not be surprised if she did. Everytime I see her with McCain, I keep thinking that she is his daughter. She is always dressed as though she is going to a chique new restaurant is Hollywood. She must really love leather, because I seen her on TV in a red, black, and brown tight leather jackets.

More distorting by Washington insiders like McCain and Hillary.

Yeah, its tough on McCain having a long legislative record, political and military career to defend. Wheh your opponent has nothing to defend because of no past record of achievement, of not working with other legislators to find common ground and pass bipartisan legislation, yeah, its tough to defend your record in Washington.

Didn't Bush just bomb a terrorist w/o permission of the Pakistan government? Isn't this exactly what Obama was advocating? Doesn't McCain support Bush's foreign policy and didn't he say he would follow bin Laden "to the Gates of Hell"? How is this only two pinochios compared to the two you gave the campaign finance non-issue? Fact checker is a misnomer and deserves 6 pinnochios.

People who live in Washington take the Post's editorializing with a grain of salt. They know it is skewed with liberal bias, rumor, innuendo and hearsay. You seemed damned certain not to allow Senator McCain his two minute rebuttal on banning the lobbyist out of his office.

The state of OH do not vote for Davis Duke kind of people.
Mrs Obama is a RACIST!

God help us, from "ANOTHER UNATTRACTIVE ANGRY UNGREATFUL BLACK WOMAN"

She is so angry, I will get her pregnant

Mr. McCain, 71, and the lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, 40, both say they never had a romantic relationship.

Hmmm..

Huckabee believes in a miracle..

Will the Republican party defend John McCain?

http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=1758

.

How about commenting on Biden's statement that Obama's proposed action was already the policy of the US? If this is true, it not only reinforces Obama's position, but undermines his detractors - don't they know current policy?

Fact checking will save this country from swift boating liars. Thank you for making this effort that so many never do. It will definitely improve things for the better.

Political Puck: McCain was actually using that exact Abba song ("Take a Chance") for a while there.

Ironic, isn't it? especially in light of the whole cheating lying lobbyist-loving thing. And of course the deliciously Orwellian "Reform Institute" that he had to leave, after misuse and abuse of funds. And the fact that his very consistently patriotic original mistress and current wife did the same thing with her charity, except she stole pills since she already is richer than Teresa Heinz Kerry.

Oh, and the taxpayer funded "loan" bailout.

STR8-TLK!

"He caused some controversy in April last year when he suggested new lyrics for the Beach Boy song "Barbara Ann":"Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, Iran.""

Nope. He did not "suggest" these "new" lyrics. Rather, the "Bomb, Bomb Iran" parody dates from 1979 during the Iranian Hostage crisis when it received a lot of radio airplay for several months.

Looks like "Fact Checker" gets two Pinocchios on this one.

The Bush administration recently bombed and killed a prominent Al-Qaeda target located in Pakistan without notifying the Pakistani goverment beforehand. I find it hard to believe that John McCain wouldn't execute the same kind of action given the similar circumstances. He's totally mischaracterized Obama's statement.

I really like the Pinnochios.

Please put them on stickers and sell them on this website.

I would like to put them on letters I receive.

John McCain

Old.

Very old.

A big part of the problem in Washington.

Why not take a chance on Barack Obama.John Mcain gives new meaning to the phrase"sameold same old". This is a new century with a new paradigm.It seems to me that the best executive skills displayed in this 2008, have been displayed by Obama and his campaign. Hillary has not distingushed herself in that respect, and Mcain was rescued by luck and bad judgement onthe part of his opponents, from bankruptcy.
The president needs to lead and inspire, not sweat the small stuff.

So now McCain's position is, "Obama has exactly the right position. It has, infact, been the official US position since 9/11. But you shouldn't tell the American voters your position on defense issues, because that would give bin Laden the heads-up that we are coming after him."

Have the wheels come off the straight-talk express? Or does McCain really think our 'distraction maneuver' in Iraq has lulled al-Qaeda into complacency?

1. McCain seems concerned of a possible conservative support for Barack who seems stronger on defense. 2. Friendly country? Islamic Republic of Pakistan, lit. 'Land of the pure muslims', can not be a friend of any non-muslim country. It's in the definition of Pakistan and Islam. In 1979 Zia, another dictator replaced secular law with Islamic Sharia law, with increased religious influences on the civil service and the military. Sharia forcefully forbids non-muslim friends. 3. Ally? Consider the reality: We handover billion dollars every year which effectively go in the pockets of muslim generals, mullahs & assorted terrorists. As an added precaution, we put a gun to their heads (with us or against us), and then demand: Say you are my friend! According to Koran/Hadith, "War is deception". So the fox says the words. But alas they are just words. (Am I plagiarizing somebody we know? :) 4. Most of terrorist have been trained in Pakistan or have gone to Pakistan to hide after they committed their terror act. Ironically, Pakistan is more of a sword edge of muslim terrorism & not an ally in the war against terrorism. 5. Broadcast? There is a huge difference between disclosing your tactics and getting a broad policy consensus for the next four years in a democracy!

This is absurd. Obama said he would do exactly what the U.S. did when the situation arose, and not only was the attack successful, it proves that Obama is spot-on when it comes to his approach to combating terrorism.

And yet McCain can call Obama naive for saying he would do exactly what happened? I don't see the problem here, other than this "telegraph" crap that sounds like more GOP spin than anything. So it's okay to just do something, but it's not okay to say you're going to do it before you do it? This flies in the face of the original reason McCain attacked Obama.

McCain said Obama would bomb our ally, Pakistan, and that was wrong because you should talk to the ally first. Then he says it's only okay to bomb targets in Pakistan without Musharraf's approval if you don't let them know you're going to do it in advance?

McCain's double-talk express, if not completely derailed by his lies about fiscal discipline, is now officially somewhere lost under a mountain.

Anon99 - Really? Wow! Two pinocchios for me (ignorance, but not willful). Clearly, I should do my own fact checking before correcting the Fact Checker. For anyone who is interested, here is the link...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Ann

BB

Anon99 - Really? Wow! Two pinocchios for me (ignorance, but not willful). Clearly, I should do my own fact checking before correcting the Fact Checker. For anyone who is interested, here is the link...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Ann

BB

Anon99 - Really? Wow! Two pinocchios for me (ignorance, but not willful). Following a quick check, it was Vince Vance and the Valients in 1979. [Oddly enough, the Steps parodied it once before as Taliban.] Clearly, I should do my own fact checking before correcting the Fact Checker.

BB

This is just the beginning, Mr. Fact Checker! McCain deserved more than two Pinocchios for this one, but you are smart to reserve as many as you can at this point, because McCain is going to deplete your entire store of Pinocchios during general election campaign. You may need to apply for public financing.

Fact Checker nails it again. Of the many fine WaPo political columns, this is proving to be the most valuable player. Thanks, Mr. Dobbs.

Every so often I check back here to see if the "Fact Checker" is any less biased than it was when it first started off and I used to check it.

This proves that it is not. This should have been three pinnochios AT LEAST.

"Significant factual error and/or obvious contradictions."

The fact that Obama was referring to terrorists on Pakistan's soil and not "our ally Pakistan" as McCain put it is a blatant, obvious contradiction between what Obama meant and what McCain "the straight talker" said he meant.

McCain's wife doesn't need to have had a face lift to "look his daughter", because, in fact, she's young enough to be his daughter. She was the last of his many admittedly adulterous affairs that ended with his leaving his first wife, after an auto accident left her 4 inches shorter and in need of long term rehabilitation. John has accepted full blame for breaking up his family of five to marry an heiress 17 yrs his junior, who would finance his first campaign. "When John turned 40 he wanted to be 25 again," is how his first wife describes it. To his credit in the divorce settlement he arranged not only for her keep their house but to pay for her continuing need for physical and medical therapy.

He either misspoke, or intentially intended to skew Obama's word for political gain. I would like to think McCain is above that, but when he changes "invades" to "Bombing", I have to wonder (well, not really wonder).

I wonder if this is any different then his affair with the blond lobbyist...oh, wait, that was a "smear".

McCain is showing the old-school yesteryear politics that nobody but the hard-core 30 percentile want.

Fact-Check rating scale is as always:
plus one for any Obama post
minus one for any McCain post

McCain is clearly misstating Obama's position.

McCain's support for Bush policies while condemning Obama's policies are an example of an "obvious contradictions", since the two policies are exactly the same in this case.

On SUNDAY??
OH No She Didn't.??

SHAME ON YOU HOLLARY !!!
For Todays (SUNDAY) Sacrelege, blasphemy, and Atheism..
Mocking the Christian belief in Salvation.
Poking fun and Sarcasm at Believing that Heaven can Open up the sky to those who believe. Laughing at the notion that there are Celestial Angelic Choirs in the Heavens, Hurling sarcasm at those who would believe they can hear. Laughing at Hope.. Laughing at GOD..!!!
Hillary..Can you say Moses?
Did he not part the Red Sea and free his people from the Pharoh?
Who are you Hillary Rodham to tell us all not to believe that all things are possible through our Lord Our God?
It is dillusional to Hope The Lord God would ever extend his ever redeeming, ever forgiving ever everlasting Love to Our Nation? To America and her United States Citizens??
Its dillusional On SUNDAY to think this could be possible ?? 2/24/08
One thing is certain..It won't be possible under your leadership. You are a non-believer.
I suppose that deceased Dallas Police Officers family should abandon any HOPE for his Salvation. His life was lost performing a difficult and demanding job too. There aint NO GOD coming for him either. Right Hillary??
May God have mercy on your immortal soul Hillary Rodham.
SHAME ON YOU HILLARY RODHAM
The Lord works in mysterious ways....
And today God exposed your true dark soul to the world. And In so doing, the Nation and the World will be better served.

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