Fact Check

I once again heartily endorse FactCheck.org, which fact-checks campaign commercials and initiatives from both the Dems and GOP, neither of which comes out looking very good. Recent entries:

1. Since the old “Misery Index” makes Bush look okay, Kerry’s campaign invented a new, more damaging one.
2. A Bush ad repeats previous bogus assertions, and makes claims about Kerry’s plans at odds with Kerry’s states positions.
3. A Kerry ad puts words in Bush’s mouth about outsourcing that Bush never said.
4. A Bush ad criticizes Kerry for briefly holding a position shared by the chairman of Bush’s Council of Economic Advisors.
5. A Bush ad plays fast and loose with the meaning of Kerry’s voting record — especially in the context of both Kerry’s current positions and Bush’s.
6. A DNC ad says Bush cut education and job training spending, when both have gone up.

A few breaths of facts to whisper through the fetid groves of campaign rhetoric …