Rush is calling it a “high-tech lynching,” resurrecting that phrase from the Clarence Thomas hearings. And make no mistake, it is.
Carson’s entire candidacy is based on his character so that’s where the media is going to attack. It’s funny though. Normally, the media says that lying doesn’t matter but it’s hypocrisy that they must show. That’s why a Democrat who’s cheating on his wife doesn’t matter because he’s pro gay marriage. But a Republican who cheats on his wife matters because he’s pro-traditional marriage.
But here, the media first went after Carson because he said he was a bad and angry young man. So the media actually went out to prove that Carson was always a good guy. Seriously, they did this. And reported this as bombshell evidence that Carson was a liar because he was always a good guy.
But that, of course, didn’t work so well.
So Politico came along and upped the ante with a story headlined: “Exclusive: Carson claimed West Point ‘scholarship’ but never applied.” Here’s the thing, Ben Carson never said he applied. Never ever. In fact, he clearly stated in his book that he only had the money to apply to one school, Yale, where he was accepted.
They’re now claiming that Carson’s campaign admitted he lied the with headline screaming “Ben Carson admits fabricating West Point scholarship.”
That, itself, is a lie.
Carson’s campaign did release a statement saying, “Dr. Carson was the top ROTC student in the City of Detroit. In that role he was invited to meet General Westmoreland. He believes it was at a banquet. He can’t remember with specificity their brief conversation but it centered around Dr. Carson’s performance as ROTC City Executive Officer. He was introduced to folks from West Point by his ROTC Supervisors. They told him they could help him get an appointment based on his grades and performance in ROTC. He considered it but in the end did not seek admission.”
To this clarification, Politico screams, “Ben Carson’s campaign on Friday admitted, in a response to an inquiry from POLITICO, that a central point in his inspirational personal story was fabricated: his application and acceptance into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.”
But as Ace points out “Nowhere in the piece does Cheney tell the reader where Carson made this ‘application and acceptance’ claim. But please recall, Carson made clear that he only applied to one school.
So here’s the difference. Carson saying he was offered a full ride to West Point by Westmoreland. And Politico saying this meant he had applied and been accepted. But let’s be clear, if General Westmoreland at that time wanted Carson in West Point it’s likely he would’ve been accepted. So an offer, even an offhanded one, should be taken very very seriously.
So I think Carson saying, “Later I was offered a full scholarship to West Point” is perfectly legitimate.
This is character assassination clear and simple. Disgusting. And completely predictable.
