AP shocks the world
In what can only be described as stunning, Associated Press (AP) staff Calvin Woodward and Jim Kuhnhenn have done the unthinkable -- they wrote a skepticism-filled piece about a liberal politician. And mind you, not just any politician; none other than The Messiah himself.
One hopes they realize that their careers with the über-liberal AP are now in jeopardy.
Following Obama's nationally-televised flummery to a joint session of Congress last evening, Woodward and Kuhnhenn offered a cynical critique of what Obama actually said during his rambling palaver.
This is simply remarkable because the AP has a long, sordid, verified history of omitting or distorting facts, manipulating graphics, and publishing false stories to protect its liberal allies or destroy its ideological foes.
He pontificates, they parse
The AP story FACT CHECK: Obama's words on home aid ring hollow is notable since Obama himself has stated that words are not important, that he considers them "just words." But the rest of the literate world knows that words are significant and reflect specific meanings. Which is probably why Obama has reneged on so many campaign promises in the 40-day eye-blink that comprises his presidency. Here are some excerpts:
President Barack Obama knows Americans are unhappy ... but his assurance Tuesday night that only the deserving will get help rang hollow ...
OBAMA: "We have launched a housing plan that will help responsible families facing the threat of foreclosure lower their monthly payments and refinance their mortgages. It's a plan that won't help speculators or that neighbor down the street who bought a house he could never hope to afford, but it will help millions of Americans who are struggling with declining home values."
THE FACTS: If the administration has come up with a way to ensure money only goes to those who got in honest trouble, it hasn't said so.
OBAMA: "We have known for decades that our survival depends on finding new sources of energy. Yet we import more oil today than ever before."
THE FACTS: Oil imports peaked in 2005 at just over 5 billion barrels, and have been declining slightly since. The figure in 2007 was 4.9 billion barrels, or about 58 percent of total consumption. The nation is on pace this year to import 4.7 billion barrels, and government projections are for imports to hold steady or decrease a bit over the next two decades.
OBAMA: "We have already identified $2 trillion in savings over the next decade."
THE FACTS: Although 10-year projections are common in government, they don't mean much. And at times, they are a way for a president to pass on the most painful steps to his successor, by putting off big tax increases or spending cuts until someone else is in the White House.
OBAMA: "Regulations were gutted for the sake of a quick profit at the expense of a healthy market. People bought homes they knew they couldn't afford from banks and lenders who pushed those bad loans anyway. And all the while, critical debates and difficult decisions were put off for some other time on some other day."
THE FACTS: This may be so, but it isn't only Republicans who pushed for deregulation of the financial industries. The Clinton administration championed an easing of banking regulations, including legislation that ended the barrier between regular banks and Wall Street banks. That led to a deregulation that kept regular banks under tight federal regulation but extended lax regulation of Wall Street banks. Clinton Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, later an economic adviser to candidate Obama, was in the forefront in pushing for this deregulation.
There is more, but you get the picture -- read the article. It is unfortunate that journalists who have the temerity to flaunt ethics and objectivity in the face of the biased Drive-by Media would be in trouble with ideological lap dogs such as the AP.
Good luck and best wishes in your new careers, Woodward and Kuhnhenn.