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We need to call them on this "See DICK LIE" book!
This is what I emailed to my local newspaper. Please so something similar in your area!
Dear Mainers, I hope you watched the VP Debate last night. I also hope you also listened to the corrections required after it.
Dick Cheney's remarks last night were riddled with inaccuracies -- more than I can describe here. But I've listed a few of the biggest flopped whoppers below:
CHENEY the FIBBER: "I have not suggested there's a connection between Iraq and 9/11"
THE TRUTH: As the Washington Post reports today, Cheney has repeatedly insinuated and "strongly suggested" that Saddam Hussein was behind the attacks on September 11th. And in its fact check column today, the Boston Globe says "Cheney has consistently asserted strong prewar links between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda, even after the 9/11 Commission definitively concluded that there had not been a collaborative relationship between the two. In a radio interview in January 2004, Cheney said: 'I think there's overwhelming evidence that there was a connection between Al Qaeda and the Iraqi government.'"
On December 9, 2001, Cheney went on "Meet the Press" to perpetuate the now entirely debunked theory that one of the 9/11 hijackers met with an Iraqi official. He went back on a year ago to describe Iraq as part of ""the geographic base of the terrorists who have had us under assault for many years, but most especially on 9/11."
Most recently, Cheney has claimed that Iraq harbored the terrorist Abu Musab al Zarqawi, and said Zarqawi "is an al Qaeda associate who took refuge in Baghdad, found sanctuary and safe harbor there before we ever launched into Iraq." But yesterday, a report Cheney himself requested found that there is no conclusive evidence to support that claim. An administration official said, "The evidence is that Saddam never gave Zarqawi anything."
CHENEY the FIBBER: "900,000 small businesses will be hit" by the Kerry-Edwards plan to roll back tax cuts for people in the top income bracket.
THE TRUTH: As the Washington Post writes this morning: "This is misleading. Under Cheney's definition, a small business is any taxpayer who includes some income from a small business investment, partnership, limited liability corporation or trust. By that definition, every partner at a huge accounting firm or at the largest law firm would represent small businesses. According to IRS data, a tiny fraction of small business "S-corporations" earn enough profits to be in the top two tax brackets. Most are in the bottom two brackets."
CHENEY the FIBBER: "We have added 1.7 million jobs to the economy."
THE TRUTH: On November 2nd, George Bush will be the first president in 70 years to lose jobs. There will be about a million less jobs than there were when Bush took office – and about 7 million less than Bush's own post-9/11 estimate. Cheney's using fuzzy math: 1.7 million jobs have been added, but millions more have been lost.
CHENEY the FIBBER: "The first time I ever met you was when you walked on the stage tonight."
THE TRUTH: This one-liner was one of Cheney's only zinger of the night, but even it isn't true: Cheney and Edwards have met in public at least three times. They met when Edwards escorted Elizabeth Dole to be sworn in by Cheney as Senator and at the National Prayer Breakfast. At the Breakfast, he even called Edwards out by name, starting his remarks with the words, "Thank you very much. Congressman Watts, Senator Edwards, friends from across America and distinguished visitors to our country from all over the world, Lynne and I are honored to be with you all this morning." You can actually watch video of the two of them shaking hands! Finally, they also met in 2001 at another taping of Meet the Press, which is also on videotape.
And when he goes to the US Senate each Tuesday for lunch - it's only with Republicans....no wonder he does not see Senator Edwards!
Mainers need to keep their eyes open and their ears open and then make an informed choice.
If Cheney's willing to flat-out lie about whether or not he's met John Edwards -- a rather objective question -- it's clear he won't be straight with the American people on more important issues.
Please follow Dick's own suggestion of 'checking the facts' at www.factcheck.com!
Thank you.
C
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