Tall Tales On The Campaign Trail
Plenty Of High-Pressure Candidates Stretch The Truth, But Why?
-
Play CBS Video
Video
Why Oh Why Do Candidates Lie?
On the campaign trail, stretching the truth can be as common as kissing babies. But in this age of information scrutiny, what leads a candidate to exaggerate his or her record? Katie Couric reports.
-
Video
Eye To Eye: Truth On The Trail
"Only On The Web": Katie Couric speaks to CBS News political analyst Nicolle Wallace about stretching the truth on the campaign trail.
-
Photo
Hillary Clinton has said she came under fire in Bosnia. But CBS News video tells a different story. It's just one example of stretching the truth on the campaign trail. (CBS)
-
Interactive
Campaign 2008
Profiles of the candidates, polls, fund-raising, blogs, video and more.
-
Section
Campaign Coverage
News and video from the campaign trail.
"I was under sniper fire," Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said.
But as everyone now knows, those shots didn't happen, CBS News anchor Katie Couric reports.
That contrast between her words and CBS News images has caused her reputation to take a hit. In a recent poll, 46 percent of Americans say Clinton is phony; only 48 percent say she's honest.
"What do you think leads a candidate to exaggerate or be hyperbolic about his or her record?" Couric asked Republican strategist and CBS News political analyst Nicolle Wallace.
"You take all the pressure of a press corps that is on top of them all day, every day, and the competitive pressure of being head-to-head with an opponent now for months on end, and there is extraordinary pressure to come up with new proof points to prove her narrative and her reason for being the best candidate to carry the Democratic mantle," said Wallace.
But stretching the truth can be as common on the campaign trail as kissing babies ... and Barack Obama has gilded the lily as well.
Obama claimed it was the Kennedy family who helped send his dad from Kenya to America.
"It is partly because of their generosity that my father came to this country," Obama said at a rally at which he received an endorsement from the Kennedys.
Except that wasn't true. Neither was another story about the 1965 March on Selma inspiring his parents to fall in love.
Trouble is, Obama was born four years before that.
John McCain's rhetoric doesn't always pass the smell test either.
"It's called al Qaeda is in Iraq. And my friends, if we left, they wouldn't be establishing a base," McCain said. "They wouldn't be establishing a base, they'd be taking a country."
"John McCain doesn't need to exaggerate his biography, it's a spectacular biography. But he does exaggerate the threat of al Qaeda in Iraq, which is a small Sunni group in a Shi'ia country," Joe Klein, a columnist for Time, said.
In this day and age, candidates embellish at their own peril.
"We're operating in a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week news environment now," said Mike Feldman, a former advisor to Al Gore. "There really are no off-camera moments.
It may be harder today but it's hardly new.
In a 1992 "60 Minutes" interview, Correspondent Steve Kroft asked presidential candidate Bill Clinton: "Who is Gennifer Flowers? Do you know her? How do you know her, how would you describe the relationship?"
Mr. Clinton nodded and replied: "Very limited."
Gore's statement about creating the Internet played into the Republican strategy in 2000 that he wasn't trustworthy. While Democrats argued Mr. Bush wasn't up to the job.
"Roger Simon in his book called it Dumbo versus Pinnochio. When President Bush would make a misstatement, it was often seen as benign, a simple mistake," Feldman said. "When Vice President Gore would make a misstatement, it was often seen as malicious or intentionally misleading."
In this campaign cycle, Hillary Clinton runs the risk of being portrayed the same way.
"Her vulnerability among Democrats is that she will say or do anything and there is a willingness on her part to stretch or strain the truth," Wallace said.
That's not Obama's weakness, but something else could be.
"People view Obama as essentially honest so they give him the benefit of the doubt. But questions about experience and readiness for office-those are the ones, if he stumbles, could really harm him," said CBS News political analyst Joe Trippi.
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Video and Galleries from CBS Evening News
- Latest in CBS Evening News
- The Story Behind the Skating Babies
- Sagging Sales, Even in a Beach Paradise
- Grief, Outrage over Grave Desecrations



- 1
- 2
- next
See all 95 CommentsSimpliest thing - how can we name the False On Purpose just misspoke?
We are not fools!
If You name things their exact names - the sense is becoming clear.
The chain of false facts created by Hillary is making her the pserson who can NOT be trusted Ever.
And if to take Your simple approach "misspoke" - it is still dangerous, when person, pretended to make Global decisions could not remember: what was that - the bullet or flowers from a chile. At least 50 % chances, that she may forget : is it wedding or funeral, War or piece. and so on, and so on.
Dems wold not be in such a mess, if media will name things correctly.
Please, do not make fools of us.
Please, do NOT.
http://kennethelamb.blogspot.com/2008/02/barak-obama-questions-about-ethnic.html
If an man will lie about his heritage to get ahead,..what else will he lie about?
NOBAMA 08
From NBC/NJ%u2019s Aswini Anburajan
GREENBURG, Pa. -- The Clinton campaign today accused the Obama campaign of "false advertising," claiming that a recent ad Obama released in Pennsylvania was disngenous because Obama has been the recipient of more than $200,000 from the oil and gas industry.
In the ad, Obama says, "I''m Barack Obama, and I don''t take money from oil companies or lobbyists, and I won''t let them block change any more."
Obama has taken $213,884 from the oil and gas industry as of Feb. 29th, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Sen. Hillary Clinton has taken $306,813 in that same period.
Two of Obama''s campaign bundlers are also CEOs for oil and gas companies, per a list released on his campaign Web site.
Robert Cavnar, listed as a bundler who has raised between $50,000 to $100,000 for the campaign, is the chairman and CEO of Mission Resources Corp., a Houston-based firm. George Kaiser, also listed in the same $50,000 to $100,000 category, is the CEO of Tulsa-based Kaiser-Francis Oil Company.
"It''s unfortunate that Senator Obama is using false advertising to explain why he can be trusted to do something about energy prices," Clinton spokesman Phil Singer said. "Senator Obama says he doesn''t take campaign contributions from oil companies but the reality is that Exxon, Shell, and others are among his donors."
Selma. Selma is a symbol. Do you know what a symbol is? The Obama Sr.-Dunham relationship was portrayed at about that same time (or a little later, let%u2019s not split hairs) by Stanley Kramer in %u201CGuess who%u2019s coming to dinner?%u201D
And you will support Obama and every one of his at lies? There are so many out there right now, he''s surpassed Bush/Cheney! He''s at least batting a thousand!
Selma. Selma is a symbol. Do you know what a symbol is? The Obama Sr.-Dunham relationship was portrayed at about that same time (or a little later, let%u2019s not split hairs) by Stanley Kramer in %u201CGuess who%u2019s coming to dinner?%u201D
Selma. Selma is a symbol. Do you know what a symbol is? The Obama Sr.-Dunham relationship was portrayed at about that same time (or a little later, let%u2019s not split hairs) by Stanley Kramer in %u201CGuess who%u2019s coming to dinner?%u201D
Selma. Selma is a symbol. Do you know what a symbol is? The Obama Sr.-Dunham relationship was portrayed at about that same time (or a little later, let%u2019s not split hairs) by Stanley Kramer in %u201CGuess who%u2019s coming to dinner?%u201D
It''s kind of hard for me to get worked up over Obama taking campaign contributions from oil company employees but no one care that Bush lied to start a war. The old "hey look at the Democrat!" while the Republicans get a free pass from a lapdog media.
Sorry, doesn''t wash.
Here is another one from Obama
Newsweek reports:
"In a new ad, Obama says, "I don''t take money from oil companies."
Technically, that''s true, since a law that has been on the books for more than a century prohibits corporations from giving money directly to any federal candidate. But that doesn''t distinguish Obama from his rivals in the race.
We find the statement misleading, because:
Obama has accepted more than $213,000 from individuals who work for companies in the oil and gas industry and their spouses.
Two of Obama''s bundlers are top executives at oil companies and are listed on his Web site as raising between $50,000 and $100,000 for the presidential hopeful."
Obama was wrong about things involving his father''s biography. How did the things he was wrong about enhance his standing? Not at all. Confusing details of childhood stories is just that: confusion, and not a bit of it affects anyone''s view of him.
Hillary lying about being under sniper fire is another story. She was using it to show off foreign policy experience, of which she has none. Claiming she was responsible for the peace accords in Ireland is another stunning and false example of this. Her lies are targeted and knowing. Obama''s are not.
As for McCain''s comments about al Qaeda, I''m not sure about them. He seems to think that the (Shi''ite, and therefore extremely anti-Sunni) Iranians are helping a Sunni group (which he said four times), which is totally nonsensical. That he''s banging the drum of al Qaeda to get people to think that the Iraq war has something to do with 9/11 is obvious. He advocates continuing the war indefinitely with no defined goal, and knows that the only way people will believe in that is if we believe we are fighting people that attacked us. Whether he has any idea who is actually fighting in Iraq or not, I''m not sure. He doesn%u2019t to. So either he is lying on purpose to promote a war, or he is completely oblivious about the situation there, and still wants an indefinite war for no defined reason. Either way it''s extremely dangerous.
I for one do not put those false statements in the same league.
POLITICO BUSTS OBAMA IN MORE LIES
We wrote a piece covering some of Obama''s bigger lies during his campaign including lies about his association with Rezko, lies about how much money he received from Rezko and his later admission that he received more than he originally said. Then his NAFTA lies, and his lies about what he heard from Rev. Wright and when he heard it, as we showed his statement saying he never heard those controversial "God *** America" remarks as well as the racial remarks and anti-American remarks and just four days later, made a speech where he admitted he had heard controversial remarks. Now The Politico has just busted more Obama lies. During his first run for office, Obama played a greater role than his aides now acknowledge in crafting liberal stands on gun control, the death penalty and abortion; positions that are at odds with the moderate image he has projected during his campaign. The evidence comes from an amended version of an Illinois voter group%u2019s questionnaire. Last year, in response to a Politico story about Obama%u2019s answers to the original questionnaire, his aides said he %u201Cnever saw or approved%u201D it. But it%u2019s been determined that Obama was actually interviewed about the issues on the questionnaire by the Chicago nonprofit group that issued it. And it found that Obama filed an amended version of the questionnaire, which appears to contain his own handwritten notes. Obama did not dispute that the handwriting was his.
Following a speech by Hillary Clinton praising Lyndon Johnson for his role in helping pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act, an Obama campaign advisor privately released a four page memo urging hammering Clinton for denigrating Dr. King. Yet, Obama told reporters that neither he nor anyone in his campaign had made the accusation that Clinton denigrated King. Why did Obama say that when clearly it was the memo from his campaign advisor that triggered the media and public assault on Clinton regarding King?
It''s okay for Mr. Obama to make a lovely speech about his black roots. Why it was such a beautifully tear jerking speech that sounded so purty and so heartwarming. But the only fact in it was that his father came here from Kenya.
But it''s not okay for Hillary to talk about an experience that was certainly tense at the time, as there had been sniper fire in the hills when she landed, and if you will notice when they got off the plane they were surrounded by an escort of troops for protection. And after they departed the plane found some girls with gifts and thanked them and accepted them, and were escorted around the landing strip by soldiers, and eventually rushed to the cars for the trip to the site. So there were some facts in it...it just wasn''t really as tense as she remembers it to be.
So now she''s a pathological liar, and Obama is just a little boy relating the tales of his ancestors that just happened to be WRONG!
You people just crack me up! What nonsense!
http://tinyurl.com/3cxskw
http://tinyurl.com/2zwwte
You go Hinnis! If they''re going to hang one out to dry for lies, make hang out the other one too!
Judicial Watch: Obama %u2018intended to leave no paper trail%u2019
By Klaus Marre
Posted: 03/26/08 01:01 PM [ET]
The president of a prominent watchdog group said Wednesday that he believes Democratic presidential frontrunner Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) %u201Cintended to leave no paper trail%u201D during his time in the Illinois Senate.
Judicial Watch, which has been seeking access to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton%u2019s (D-N.Y.) records from her time in the White House, argued Wednesday that the Illinois senator, who has criticized the former first lady for a lack of openness, has his own %u201Crecords problem.%u201D
%u201CThe more we learn about the Illinois Senator, the more obvious it becomes that he is anything but the ethically upright outsider he purports to be,%u201D said Tom Fitton, the president of Judicial Watch.
The group rose to prominence when it repeatedly took on former President Bill Clinton during his time in office. It also sought records from the Bush administration regarding Vice President *** Cheney%u2019s energy task force.
In a statement, Fitton noted that his group has sought access to Obama%u2019s records as a state senator and questioned whether the presidential candidate has been forthcoming with regard to what happened to those documents.
He said that %u201Cnobody knows where they are, if they exist at all%u201D and claimed that %u201CObama%u2019s story keeps changing.%u201D
Mon Mar 17, 2008
When Rev. Wright got into an argument with Sean Hannity, he at one point refused to answer Hannity''s questions and kept asking Hannity "Have you read James Cone, what do you know about black theology? Have you read Cone?"
James Cone is one of he founders of Black Liberation Theology. Rev. Wright''s ministry, his beliefs about America, and about life itself are formed by his attraction to and acceptance of the writings of Cone.
Let''s look at some quotes from Cone.
____________________
"The time has come for white America to be silent and listen to black people."
"All white men are responsible for white oppression. "
"Theologically, Malcolm X was not far wrong when he called the white man ''the devil.''"
" Jesus Christ is black therefore not because of some cultural or psychological need of black people, but because and only because Christ really enters into our world where the poor were despised and the black are, disclosing that he is with them enduring humiliation and pain and transforming oppressed slaves into liberating servants."
"Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him."
"The task of black theology is to kill Gods who do not belong to the black community ... Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by kmccliment
Sweeping generalizations like the one you made are what inspire the charges of racism that you are complaining about. Racists make sweeping generalizations along racial lines......
Exactly! He does. And it''s amazing that people just fall all over themselves wanting to put this man in the president''s seat.
You can post facts all day long, and to them it''s like it''s just okay!
He lied coming right out of the box claiming he would conduct a campaign that would be above politics as usual. And he played dirty politics in Illinois the first political step he took! And in this campaign has created total chaos, and never spoke to an issue until December!
And the media spews out every word he says like it''s coming straight from God! Obama could say, "I pooped green today!" And the media bots and Obama bots just oooooo and ahhhhhhhh like it''s the second coming of Christ!
Censor this, "BillORights"!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by kmccliment
Hey, maybe Obama(Barry) will come out and say his plane had to do a corkscrew landing on a airfield in Kenya, and he and his family and Sinbad had to run for cover from sniper fire.....
I agree. At first I even thought, wow! But then began to do the research and went...wait a minute, this is nothing like reality I''m seeing here!
I thougt wow, 830 bills sponsored! And then when you look, for seven years, he never passed a piece of legislation, until the last year of his term when all the bills were handed to him to write that other politicians had worked on for years. They promoted him like some kind of legislative whiz kid!
And then, as a US senator, he named a post office, and got legislation passed to support efforts in the Congo!
Where''s all this wonderful stuff he was supposed to have done that qualifies him to be our president?
- 1
- 2
- next
See all 95 Comments