To me the issue can be settled by the question of motivation. It seems clear that Carson’s intent was to convey that he had been offered a spot at West Point. He had not been offered that.
I don’t know why everyone is in such an outraged tizzy to defend a man who was not being truthful.
It isn't everyone. It's the puppet masters and the posters they send here who want to keep Dr. Carson in the race. When Dr. Carson goes, Trump gets a boost. With Dr. Carson still in there, Jeb hangs on to disgust us another day. Meanwhile, they're scheming for a "Plan B" if they can't force-feed us Jeb. Dr. Carson buys them time.