RE: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] misleading Bush statements from the debate

[Mike Miller <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

On Fri, 1 Oct 2004, Spurling, Shannon wrote:

> Again, you have to look at both sides to get the real story...
>
> http://www.factcheck.org/article.aspx?docID=271


I appreciate factcheck.org's efforts, but I think their main goal is to 
find lots of stuff to expose.  They tend to make too many claims against 
both candidates, I think.  I go over each one below.


Here are the claims that I think are worth noting:

Out of Iraq in 6 Months? : This time Bush was just false and misleading. 
He attempted to mischaracterize Kerry's claims and he got caught.  It 
looks intentional.

Other factual stumble #1.  Bush used an inflated number for the registered 
voter count in Iraq.

Other factual stumble #2.  Bush claimed to have increased spending on nuke 
proliferation when he actually requested to decrease spending.

Other factual stumble #6.  Kerry said "they had to close the subway in New 
York when the Republican Convention was there."  I can't explain that one! 
Apparently, some entrances to Penn Station were shut down, but I doubt it 
had anything to do with needed repairs as suggested by Kerry.  Strange!

Other factual stumble #7.  Bush was misleading in saying that he worked 
with Congress on the Department of Homeland Security when he actually 
opposed them for 9 months.



Here are the ones that I think are not suggestive of deception, perhaps to 
the point that they don't deserve to be mentioned:

"Spending Reconstruction Money" :  Bush was not wrong to say that they are 
spending reconstruction money, so why are they mentioning this?  It's 
because they've spent only 7% of the *emergency* money in 10 months.  I 
guess the statement was a little misleading, but that's politics.

"100,000 trained now" : Bush didn't say "highly trained" so why are they 
telling us about this?  Again, it's ordinary politics and it wasn't 
*false*.

Tora Bora "Outsourcing" :  Kerry might have been wrong, but they aren't 
even sure.

Kerry "$200 Billion" : Here factcheck.org does us a disservice.  When 
Kerry referred to the cost as $200 billion, he did not say it had already 
been spent.  Factcheck.org claims that $200 billion has been appropriated. 
So what is "the cost" - is it what has already been spent ($120 billion, 
according to factcheck) or is it what has been appropriated?  They should 
have been clearer on this item.  I don't see this as deceptive on Kerry's 
part.

Al Quaeda:  Bush said that 75% of Al Quaeda leaders were brought to 
justice.  Factcheck notes that this is basically correct, so what's the 
problem?  Of course more people have taken their places, but Bush is not 
obliged to say that!

Other factual stumble 3.  Again they do Kerry a disservice by not telling 
us what Kerry actually *said*.  If Kerry said "Bush is spending..." I 
think it's fun because Bush is proposing to spend $500 million on this 
project.  It is not misleading for Kerry to say "is spending."  He does 
not have to add "unless Congress stops him..."



Other (good to correct but not because of deception):

Kerry misspoke twice.  These are simple errors in speech not misleading 
statements.  He said, "we got weapons of mass destruction crossing the 
(Iraq) border" when he meant to say "we got terrorists crossing the (Iraq) 
border."  Secondly, he said "Treblinka Square" when he meant "Lubyanka 
Square."
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