Ben Carson's West Point Fairy Tale Didn't End With "Gifted Hands"

In his book "Gifted Hands" Ben Carson claims that he turned down a full scholarship to West Point, (which technically does not offer scholarships--attendance at the school is free).  His assertion has been the focus of the latest 24-hour news cycle.  

According to Politico, Mr. Carson's claim was repudiated by West Point. "West Point, however, has no record of Carson applying, much less being extended admission."

Yesterday, his campaign admitted his claim was false.  In a telephone interview, also on Friday, Mr. Carson tried to excuse his apparent fabrication by saying "I don't remember all the specific details."  During a press conference later in the day, Mr. Carson conceded that he was never accepted to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.  He then attempted to address the controversy by somehow making it the media's fault for daring to question him.  That didn't go too well.

what eye thynk:  Mr. Carson may want to blame the contretemps on a misreading of one passage in an early book; but then, if that passage is being so badly misinterpreted, you have to wonder why he has insisted on perpetuating the West Point scholarship story not just in "Gifted Hands," but also in later accounts   As reported by The New York Times this morning, "In a later book, 'You Have a Brain,' he described how he had decided which college to attend: 'I still had the scholarship offer from West Point as a result of my R.O.T.C. achievements.'"

The article reported that he was still immortalizing the scholarship fairy tale as recently as late this Summer: "More recently, in a Facebook post in August, he responded to a question on whether he had been offered a spot at West Point by writing that he had been 'thrilled to get an offer from West Point.'"

 Mr. Carson has become the darling of the Christian right via his claim of holy redemption after a friend's (at least it was a "friend" in his book--yesterday, the friend had morphed into a "close family member") belt buckled miraculously broke the blade off a knife as young Ben was attempting to stab him to death.  

Immediately afterwards, Mr. Carson wrote that he spent an hour in the bathroom talking to God and, from that point forward, young Ben gave up violence and evil deeds and embraced a life of faith and goodness.

Apparently, the future politician spent at least part of that hour negotiating a clause where lying would still be permissible.