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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Troop Support for Candidates

Q: Did ABC News misrepresent which candidate troops in Iraq support, as a chain e-mail alleges?
A: No. The e-mail is bogus, and the major general to which it is attributed says he never wrote it.

No Flag on Obama’s Plane?

Q: Did Obama replace the U.S. flag on the tail of his campaign plane with his campaign symbol?
A: Yes. Obama’s newly designed campaign plane features the campaign’s logo on the tail. However, an image of the U.S. flag appears on the side of the plane.

Obama Quote Rumors

Q: Did Obama urge supporters to help him change “the greatest nation in the history of the world”?
A: No. Obama never said what’s being attributed to him in a number of chain e-mail messages. The line was meant as a joke about John McCain, Hillary Clinton and politicians in general.

Uranium in Iraq

Q: Was it recently revealed that the U.S. found uranium in Iraq after the invasion in 2003?
A: No. Uranium recently shipped from Iraq to Canada was left over from Saddam Hussein’s defunct nuclear weapons program and had been in sealed containers, under guard, since the end of the first Gulf War in 1991. Claims that this material is "vindication" for President Bush’s WMD claims in 2003 are completely false.

U.S. Government Paying Former Insurgents?

Q: Is the U.S. government paying factions in Iraq not to fight us?
A: We are paying Iraqis, some of whom were formerly hostile insurgents, to police areas and fight terrorists.

Oil Ad Distorts Supply Count

Q: Is there 60 years worth of oil for 60 million cars in the U.S.?
A: The oil industry claim is mathematically correct, but it accounts for about a quarter of the vehicles on the road in the U.S.

Obama Snubbing Troops? False.

 Q: Did Obama snub U.S. troops in Afghanistan to shoot baskets for publicity pictures?
A: This is another viral e-mail falsehood. The author now says it’s not true; the Army says it’s not true; and video and photos show Obama shaking hands with troops and eating breakfast with them as well.

Do VP Candidates Win States?

Q: Historically, have vice presidential candidates really helped win states in the general election?
A: Presidential nominees don't pick their running mates based on this strategy as often as one might think. Even when they do, the results are decidedly mixed.

Presidential Debate Dates

Q: When is the first real debate between John McCain and Barack Obama? I’m really looking forward to it.
A: Not until Sept. 26, as things stand. But McCain wants more debates starting sooner and Obama has said he’s open to the idea. So far the two haven’t agreed on any dates, though.