http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/ en-us Copyright 2008 Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:00:00 -0400 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.36 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss State College, Pa., April 20, 2008. "I went to law school [and] borrowed money from the federal government at two percent interest. I bet there are some people here who remember that. There was a program called the National Defense Education Act. Our government invested in young people." --Hillary Clinton, Pennsylvania State University, April 20, 2008. Hillary Clinton has been painting a halcyon picture of her days as a Yale Law School student between 1969 and 1972, and how easy it was back then for students to borrow money from the federal government. She drew a collective groan from 1,500 Penn State students over the weekend when she recalled how she was able to borrow money at two percent interest to complete her law school studies. But student interest rates were not quite as low in 1969 as Clinton has claimed--and not everybody could get them. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/04/hillarys_two_percent_college_l.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/04/hillarys_two_percent_college_l.html Candidate Watch Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:00:00 -0400 Rudy Giuliani with Margaret Thatcher, September 19, 2007. One of the five "most famous" Americans? In the spirit of the holiday season, I am inviting nominations for the "Top Ten Fibs of 2007". There are two categories in the competition: "Presidential Candidates" and "Best of the Rest." Post your nominations in the comments section or use the "Contact the Fact Checker" form. Also feel free to cast a non-binding vote for your favorite fib. The deadline is Friday, Dec. 28. A panel of crack Fact Checkers will select the Top Five Fibs in each category and post them online on Monday, December 31. We will also make a Geppetto truth-telling award in the "Presidential Candidates" category. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2007/12/the_fibs_of_2007.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2007/12/the_fibs_of_2007.html Candidate Watch Mon, 24 Dec 2007 06:00:00 -0400 Mike Huckabee in Greenville, SC, Dec. 8, 2007". "In Arkansas, Governor Huckabee supported broadening a particular merit scholarship -- not in-state tuition - to include high-achieving children who were applying for citizenship...The proposal to make children of illegal immigrants eligible for in-state tuition was not part of the Governor's plan." --Huckabee press release, www.mikehuckabee.com, December 15, 2007. Now that he has become a front-runner, Mike Huckabee is feeling the heat from other Republican candidates who are scrutinizing his record as governor of Arkansas for evidence of "liberal" or "Democratic" inclinations. One leading rival, Fred Thompson, has accused Huckabee of having "championed" an effort to permit illegal immigrants to benefit from in-state tuition rates at state universities. Huckabee has denied the charge, claiming that his support was limited to a much more restrictive scholarship program. Huckabee's denials fly in the face of the record. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2007/12/pinocchios_for_huckabee_on_ill.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2007/12/pinocchios_for_huckabee_on_ill.html Candidate Watch Tue, 18 Dec 2007 06:00:00 -0400 "Americans are getting fatter and dumber... If things are going bad, just remember who put these people in power." -- Former Sen. Mike Gravel, Democratic candidate for president, Yahoo/Slate/Huffington Post debate mashup, September 2007. To be fair to Gravel, he made this incendiary claim in response to a question from the late-night TV comedian Bill Maher, who cited statistics showing that obesity had risen to an "all-time high," SAT scores have declined, and 38 per cent of fourth graders cannot read at basic level. Challenged by Maher to "tell Americans that they're getting fatter and dumber," Gravel obliged, adding for good measure that Americans would "get the government they deserve." But is the underlying data correct? The Facts There seems little doubt that Americans are getting fatter. According to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the incidence of obesity among adults increased from 15 per http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2007/09/mike_gravel_americans_are_gett_1.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2007/09/mike_gravel_americans_are_gett_1.html Candidate Watch Wed, 19 Sep 2007 06:15:07 -0400