The Republican Primary Race Is Filling Up

[bwframe]

Ahhh, so democrats are responsible for the list of republican candidates...

No, you guys and your devious ways are responsible for Trump's popularity.
The rest are just the rest. Hopefully, they'll pick up on Trump's strong points.

 

[Woobie]

Lol, the conservatives do not control the party. The Chamber does, and they are livid with the conservatives for upsetting their party.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

Media really gunning for the front-runners. Now trying to create a Rubio scandal about him making personal purchases on gov credit.

Ignoring that he paid back all of them at the end of each month... much like how credit cards work. Literally no scandal here.

 

[BugI02]

So about the "lie". A factually incorrect statement isn't a lie without some intent to deceive. Intentionally making more of something than the facts bear is deceptive.

So let's look at what we know. Carson's ghostwriter wrote in the book that Carson met Westmoreland around Memorial Day. Westmoreland was at home playing tennis and was not in Detroit at that time. So that account was factually incorrect.

The general wouldn't have offered a scholarship because any acceptance into West Point is a free ride anyway, except for the four year commitment to serve. There are no scholarships offered. Carson didn't apply and was never accepted. So that account was factually incorrect.

Carson may have attended another dinner where Westmoreland did attend months earlier. He may have conflated the two events in his mind. The ghostwriter did say he thought Carson's memory of the events was sketchy, which seems reasonable when trying to remember something that happened almost 30 years prior. Or, perhaps the ghostwriter and/or Carson decided that it would make a more dramatic point to merge the two events. It was, after all, supposed to be an inspirational kind of biography.

Did he even talk to Westmoreland personally? Possibly. Westmoreland talking to the top ROTC cadet in Detroit at a dinner held in Detroit doesn't seem like a far stretch.

About the "scholarship", I don't know. Did he lie? Or did a 17 year old kid misunderstand what was said, and memory of events 27 years later led to the story the way it was told?

So I guess what we're left with is, if you want to believe that Carson intentionally misled folks you can believe that, but you have to have faith that there was intentional deception. But that's okay MRJ, you get to believe things based on faith too.

However, for a serious news outlet to declare that Carson "fabricated" it, that is indeed intentionally making more of something than the facts bear. They backed off of their original headline for a reason. But it doesn't matter. The intended damage is done. They've provided the fodder for the faithful. Can't put that genie back in the bottle.

Ola, Jamil. First I want to say I agree the long knives are out for Carson. I did some research on appointments to West Point because I didn't understand all of the processe's nuances. I found that one can have one of two kinds of appointments - a Congressional Nomination or a Service-Connected Nomination.

In the Congressional Nomination you can be recommended by the VP ( The President is not listed - who knew? ) your U.S. Senator ( it is unclear if a state's elected federal official is limited to only appointees from his state or if that limitation is only tradition ), your U.S. representative including those from some territories and protectorates as well as D.C., and via appointment by The Secretary of the Army (a position Westmoreland never held, he was deputy to the SoA)

In the Service-Connected Nomination, appointments are available to the sons and daughters of career military personel (active or retired), for yourself if you are active duty via your commanders endorsement, as a son or daughter of a medal of honor recipient, and through your senior instructor in ROTC if your unit has been designated an Honor Unit with Distinction (which could also be relevant here).

So it would seem the routes that would most likely have been open to Carson, based on his own account, would be one of two. Through Westmoreland, who could not have offered it directly but as Deputy SoA may have been confident his recommendation would stick, or via recommendation of Carson's ROTC commander - a pathway Westmoreland would surely have been aware of, and may have discussed with Carson, and the fog of time blurred those details. I agree with you that it isn't much of a stretch to believe an elite ROTC cadet would have been encouraged to apply to the academy, and that those involved would have been confident of his acceptance. Once again the schizoid nature of the system is on display - lament the fact that good men don't run for office and then savage all who do.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

The MSM calls what they're doing during this election cycle "vetting". This same activity done by anybody during the last two cycles would have called "racist!!!".

 

[Alpo]

False comparison. Obama was excoriated by the conservative/reactionary press in 2008 and beyond. Or have you forgotten? You all continue to do so 7 years later.

I'm not overly fond of the job the SOB has done, but just because you say it was a certain way back then doesn't make it so. Eventally some one will call you on your bravo sierra.

 

[cobber]

All Carson needs is a fawning press, and it's all good.


Like that other guy, what's his name again?

 

[jamil]

False comparison. Obama was excoriated by the conservative/reactionary press in 2008 and beyond. Or have you forgotten? You all continue to do so 7 years later.

So. The he media that isn't the conservative/reactionary press. It was only their job to vet the Republican candidates? They certainly did little to vet Obama. If a Republican candidate had his academic records sealed and refused to make them public do you think CNN would just let that go?

I hate hate the partisanship on fox. And just as much I hate when people refuse to acknowledge the partisanship in the rest of the press. It's intellectually dishonest.

 

[cobber]

I hate hate the partisanship on fox. And just as much I hate when people refuse to acknowledge the partisanship in the rest of the press. It's intellectually dishonest.

Concomitant with this regime...

 

[Alpo]

So. The he media that isn't the conservative/reactionary press. It was only their job to vet the Republican candidates? They certainly did little to vet Obama. If a Republican candidate had his academic records sealed and refused to make them public do you think CNN would just let that go?

I hate hate the partisanship on fox. And just as much I hate when people refuse to acknowledge the partisanship in the rest of the press. It's intellectually dishonest.

I suppose I ought to accept that you've made an admission here and let it drop. So, I will.

Go Broncos!

 

[Dead Duck]

All Kenyans should be proud.
It is an amazing feat that one of their citizens is now the President of the United States.

 

[Alpo]

QED

 

[Dead Duck]

QED

Maybe you missed that report that his birth cert was completely made up online due to the layers it had to invent it.

I'm not making this up.......

 

[jamil]

I suppose I ought to accept that you've made an admission here and let it drop. So, I will.

So no admissions of your own? Wasn't really expecting one I guess.

Go Broncos!

Holy ****. We agree on something!

 

[bwframe]

...Obama was excoriated by the conservative/reactionary press in 2008 and beyond. Or have you forgotten? You all continue to do so 7 years later...

Links please?

 

[Alpo]

Oh please, bw. If you haven't read the press in the last eight years, I don't intend to do your legwork for you.

By the way, I think he and his administration deserve a LOT of criticism....but perhaps not for the same reasons he is criticised by his GOP opponents.

 

[jamil]

Links please?

you have to admit, the conservative press was about the only press that was all that interested in vetting Obama the candidate.

[video=youtube;hzMas1bVidw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzMas1bVidw[/video]

 

[Alpo]

Isn't it a bit late to dissect the 2008 election? Perhaps that's why the GOP has failed so often: they are still fighting last year's battle.

 

[printcraft]

you have to admit, the conservative press was about the only press that was all that interested in vetting Obama the candidate.

[video=youtube;hzMas1bVidw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzMas1bVidw[/video]

Yeah, but vetting is just racism showing.

 

[printcraft]

Isn't it a bit late to dissect the 2008 election? Perhaps that's why the GOP has failed so often: they are still fighting last year's battle.

So, you agree that the "vetting" of obama could have been better?