Friday, February 19, 2016

Fact-Checking the GOP: Guy With the "World's Greatest Memory" Is a Little Fuzzy on Iraq


The Statement:

Donald Trump has made railing against our invasion of Iraq a cornerstone of his campaign.  He took the opportunity again at the latest Republican debate.

"I'm the only one on this stage that said, 'Do not go into Iraq.  Do not attack Iraq.  Nobody else on this stage said that.  And I said it loud and strong.  And I was in the private sector.  I wasn't a politician, fortunately.  But I said it, and I said it loud and clear, 'You'll destabilize the Middle East.'  That's exactly what happened."

The Facts:

1.  Donald Trump was a guest on the Howard Stern radio show on September 11, 2002--prior to the beginning of the 2003 invasion--and was asked point blank by Mr. Stern, "Are you for invading Iraq?"

Mr. Trump replied, "Yeah, I guess so.  I wish the first time it was done correctly."

2.  This week, Anderson Cooper asked Mr. Combover about that Howard Stern interview.  The Donald's answer was a jumble.

"I could have said that.  Nobody asked me that.  I wasn't a politician.  It was probably the first time anyone has asked me that question.  When you're in the private sector, you get asked things, and you're not a politician--and probably the first time I was asked.  By the time the war started, I was against it, and shortly thereafter, I was really against." 

m'eye Verdict:

Oh, Donny, Donny, Donny.  Confused point #1 - "Yeah, I guess so" is not the same as "loud and strong."  You may be a billionaire, but you don't own the dictionary.  The words you use mean the same thing for everybody.

 Confused point #2 - You "could have said that," even though "nobody asked," and it was the "first time" you were asked that question.  Well, which is it?  

Confused point #3 - "Private sector" or "politician?"  Are there different rules?  If you say something as a private citizen do the same words morph into a new meaning when you become a politician? And again with the "first time?" What difference does it make if it was the first time or the fifty-first time?  Do you have a list of answers appropriate for each iteration?  

Confused point #4 - Let's think about "By the time the war started" and "shortly thereafter." Neither is the same thing as claiming to say "Do not go into Iraq."  See, once the war started, we were already there.  You're not H.G. Wells, and there is no time machine, so what you are bragging about is not an example of your highly evolved intelligence exploding into prescient glory.  It is hindsight; and everybody has that--even Mexicans.

For a man who claims to "have the world's greatest memory. It's one thing everyone agrees on," this confusion is a sign of really sloppy mental record keeping.

I'm going say it "loud and strong" -- Mr. Trump, you're a 5 out of 5 Gops liar.



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