Summary
Romney says in a TV ad that the U.S. will see more change in the next 10 years "than in the last 10 centuries." More than since the Dark Ages? More changes than the advent of the printing press, railroads, constitutional democracy, penicillin, electricity, telecommunications and the Internet all put together? We don't think so.
A Romney spokesman said he didn't mean what he said as fact, calling the statement "a metaphor." We call it a ludicrous exaggeration.
Holocaust Curriculum Suspended in UK?
Q: Did the U.K. suspend its Holocaust curriculum because it offended Muslim students?
A: No, neither the United Kingdom nor the University of Kentucky has suspended teaching the Holocaust.
How Many Have Bachelor’s Degrees?
Q: What percentage of the U.S. population has at least a bachelor's degree?
A: According to the Census Bureau, the figure is 27 percent of adults.
Bill Clinton Lost Iowa and New Hampshire Primaries
Q: How many have become president after losing both in Iowa and New Hampshire?
A: In the current system, only Bill Clinton, though others have lost one or the other.
The Whoppers of 2007
We review some notable political falsehoods and distortions of the year.
Pork-barrel Spending
Q: What percentage of the national spending is pork?
A: About 1 percent.
More Mitt Malarkey
Romney repeats misleading claims about McCain’s stand on immigration and his own record on taxes.
Abortions: Comparing Catholic and Protestant Women
Q: Do Catholic women get abortions more frequently than Protestant women?
A: Catholics are slightly more likely to get an abortion than Protestants, according to a 2000-2001 survey.
Congressional Pensions
Q: Does a United States senator receive his full pay upon retiring?
A: No. A member of Congress can’t receive more than 80 percent of his or her final salary upon retirement, and the average is much less.
The Obamas’ Chicago Home
Q: Does Obama have a real estate problem?
A: A political patron from whom he bought a strip of land is under federal indictment, but there’s no evidence Obama did anything improper.