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They Think They've Got Ben Carson with a Very Cleverly Written Politico Story
Rush Limbaugh.com ^ | November 6, 2015 | Rush Limbaugh

Posted on 11/06/2015 2:02:54 PM PST by Kaslin

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Yeah, well, we were just poking along here about 10 minutes ago. It looked like it was actually gonna be kind of a slow day. And then everything blew up here, and then we --

JOHNNY DONOVAN: And now, from sunny south Florida, it's Open Line Friday!

RUSH: Yeah. And I still don't know what to make of this. There's something that smells about this still, and I can't put my fingers on it. But we're gonna have to get into it.

Anyway, welcome to Open Line Friday. Whatever you want to talk about is fine and dandy, folks. That's true. That's not the way it is Monday through Thursday. If you don't talk about what you said you're gonna talk about, it's sayonara. We do it nicely but it's still sayonara. But on Friday hardly any restrictions. Telephone number, 800-282-2882, and the e-mail address, ElRushbo@eibnet.com.

I was sitting here literally 15 minutes ago, and I was going through the final assembly stages of the program, the show prep today, this stack and that stack, and I'm going through the stacks and I said, "You know what? There isn't anything... I don't know what the heck I would lead with today. I have literally no idea what would be the first thing that would come out of my mouth today. There's two or three contenders but there's nothing really stands out."

And then my iPhone rang. I looked at it, and I had an iMessage over there. Okay, so I looked at that, and it said, "There goes Carson." Oh, no. What now? So I went to the Internet. Nothing. I went to e-mail. Nothing. "There goes Carson." So I wrote back, "What are you talking about? What have I missed?" And before I had a chance to get a reply, my Drudge page reloaded, and it says, "Carson Admits Fabricating West Point Scholarship." I said, "What in the name of Sam Hill is this?" So I clicked on the link, and it's a Politico story here.

And the first impression -- and I'm telling you, this is key. If you are unfamiliar with Carson and his book, and if you're not up to speed with the day-to-day details of the Carson campaign, and you see the headline here, "Ben Carson Admits Fabricating West Point Scholarship," what you end up after reading the headline, the subtext is that Ben Carson must have written a book in which he says that he was granted a scholarship to West Point and attended and now we learn the whole thing's not true.

So at first glance, "My gosh, he made up the fact that he went to West Point? How in the world does all this time go by and the people at West Point don't say anything? He's got it in his book that he attended West Point? How come nobody up to now has said, 'No, he didn't'?" But that's not what the allegation is. You've got to read further, and let's just do that here because the first impressions a lot of people are going to make here or going to have is that Carson has really made up, totally fabricated a story that has no element of truth in it, which is exactly what the Drive-Bys want.

There's also a key factor here in the campaign of who admitted this. But let's just take it as we got it. Politico: "Ben Carson Admits Fabricating West Point Scholarship." Okay. "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 US Military Academy at West Point. The academy has occupied a central place in Carson's tale for years," it says here. (interruption)

Well, I know. If it's as bad as it looks, all is not lost. At least he could work at NBC. They let you make things up there. In fact, in some places they promote you for making things up like that. But we're getting ahead of ourselves here. Let me go back here to the headline: "Ben Carson Admits Fabricating West Point Scholarship." By the way, let me just take a survey. There's no wrong answer. Tell me, did you have any idea that Carson had a scholarship or has a...? (interruption) You didn't know that West Point was part of his life 'cause you haven't read the book?

What about you? Did you know that West Point was a part of what...? (interruption) Okay, you didn't. So three people here had no knowledge of the West Point aspect of the Carson story. It's in his book, but that just means the people here haven't read it. The survey doesn't mean anything here. It's just anecdotal. "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 US Military Academy at West Point.

"The academy has occupied a central place in Carson's tale for years. According to a story told in Carson's book, 'Gifted Hands,' the then-17 year old was introduced in 1969 to Gen. William Westmoreland, who had just ended his command of US forces in Vietnam, and the two dined together. That meeting, according to Carson's telling, was followed by a 'full scholarship' to the military academy. West Point, however, has no record of Carson applying, much less being extended admission.

"'In 1969, those who would have completed the entire process would have received their acceptance letters from the Army Adjutant General,' said Theresa Brinkerhoff, a spokeswoman for the academy. She said West Point has no records that indicate Carson even began the application process. 'If he chose to pursue (the application process) then we would have records indicating such,' she said. When presented with this evidence, Carson's campaign conceded the story was false."

Now, you know what started all of this? There are these stories in his book about how he used to be violent and filled with rage but that he overcame it. He used to bully people. So CNN and others in the Drive-By Media have been out there trying to find these people that Carson says he beat up or bullied or mistreated, and they can't find anybody. What they're basically trying to do is establish that Carson's making things up, building his resume, building his character, expanding his personality. (interruption) Well, no. The book Gifted Hands, it's been out for quite a while. A movie was made of this many, many, many years ago.

"When presented with this evidence, Carson's campaign conceded the story was false. 'Dr. Carson was the top ROTC student in the City of Detroit,' campaign manager Barry Bennett wrote in an email to Politico. '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,' Bennett went on.

"'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.'" Back to the Polico: "This admission comes as serious questions about other points of fact in Carson's personal narrative are questioned, including the seminal episode in which he claimed to have attempted to stab a close friend. Similarly, details have emerged that cast doubt on the nature of Carson's encounter with one of the most prominent military men of that era." Westmoreland.

"The West Point spokeswoman said it is certainly possible Carson talked with Westmoreland, and perhaps the general even encouraged him to apply to West Point. However, she said the general would have explained the benefits of a West Point education without guaranteeing him entry. An application to West Point begins with a nomination by a member of Congress or another prominent government or military official," in the state that you live in. "After that, a rigorous vetting process begins. If offered admission, all costs are covered; indeed there are no 'full scholarships,' per se.

In his popular book 'Gifted Hands,' Carson says he excelled in his ROTC program at Detroit's Southwestern High School, earning the respect of his superiors -- just a couple years after anger problems led him to try to murder a friend. He attained the rank of second lieutenant by his senior year of high school and became the student leader of the city's ROTC programs. In May of his senior year, he was chosen to march in the city's Memorial Day parade. 'I felt so proud, my chest bursting with ribbons and braids of every kind.

"'To make it more wonderful, we had important visitors that day. Two soldiers who had won the Congressional Medal of Honor in Vietnam were present,' he wrote. 'More exciting to me, General William Westmoreland (very prominent in the Vietnam war) attended with an impressive entourage. Afterward, Sgt. Hunt' -- his high school ROTC director -- 'introduced me to General Westmoreland, and I had dinner with him and the Congressional Medal winners. Later I was offered a full scholarship to West Point.'

"But, according to records of Westmoreland's schedule that were provided by the US Army, the general did not visit Detroit around Memorial Day in 1969 or have dinner with Carson. In fact, the general's records suggest he was in Washington that day and played tennis at 6:45 p.m. There are, however, several reports of an event similar to the one Carson described in February of that year. Then, Westmoreland was the featured guest at a 1,500-person banquet to celebrate Medal of Honor winner Dwight Johnson.

"The event drew prominent guests, including the governor at the time, the mayor of Detroit, the president of Ford Motor Company and nine previous Medal of Honor recipients, according to an Associated Press account of the event. Carson, a leader of the city's ROTC program at the time, may have been among the invited guests at the $10-a-plate event. Carson's later retelling of the events in this period of his life downplays his meeting with Westmoreland and that event's link to a West Point acceptance.

"In his January 2015 book 'You Have a Brain' -- a book geared toward teenagers -- Carson again recalls his rapid rise through his high school's ROTC program to become the top student officer in the city. 'That position allowed me the chance to meet four-star general William Westmoreland, who had commanded all American forces in Vietnam before being promoted to Army Chief of Staff at the Pentagon in Washington, DC,' he wrote.

"'I also represented the Junior ROTC at a dinner for Congressional Medal of Honor winners, marched at the front of Detroit's Memorial Day parade as head of an ROTC contingent, and was offered a full scholarship to West Point.' Carson has said he turned down the supposed offer of admission because he knew he wanted to be a doctor and attending West Point would have required four years of military service after graduation. Cecil Murphey, who ghost-wrote 'Gifted Hands,' told Politico that his memory of Carson's exchange with Westmoreland was hazy.

"'My gut response is that it was not a private meeting but there were others there,' he said in an email. 'The general took a liking to Ben and opened doors.'" So Carson never said he went to West Point. This story wants to make you think that. It's very cleverly done. I'm not... Look, I'm just zeroing in here on what's written. I'm not trying to downplay what did happen, but there's also some exaggeration going on. Actually, it's an attempt to imply. The way it's written, they want you to believe that Carson said he got a full scholarship and he went to West Point, and none of that was true.

He never went to West Point. He never said that he went to West Point. The contention is that he met Westmoreland, Westmoreland offered him a four-year scholarship at West Point, which there are none. So the media is convinced they found Carson out to be here in a big, big lie. And not a big, big exaggeration, but a big, big lie. Anyway, that's that, and that's what blew up here right before the program started. If not for this, it was gonna be... Well, nothing's ever humdrum here. But by the standards of the last two or three days, it was not gonna be as rocking and rolling. But, of course, that's out the window now.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Okay. Having set the table on this, I think I have a pretty good idea what happened here. But first I want to conclude. I want to tell you something. There is nothing in this article that demonstrates that Ben Carson did not meet with General Westmoreland. He says he met with General Westmoreland, and he did. There's nothing in the article that says that didn't happen. There is nothing in the article that demonstrates Westmoreland offered him a scholarship. Nothing in this article demonstrates that he was offered a scholar -- meaning to help him.

Carson may have assumed it was a scholarship. He's a teenager. He's a kid. He doesn't know how West Point works. There are no scholarships because everybody's expenses are paid. That's part of the drill. Getting into West Point is a bit of an honor, but it's also a commitment to the US Military. You owe them years of service after you graduate. I have a cousin who attended West Point and ended up being a professor for a time there. We all in our family were just busting buttons with pride. He was from Illinois. His name is Dan.

Ah, we were so proud we couldn't see straight.

I was young at the time, but I remember enough about the process and what it required, the nomination, climbing the ladder to prove you were qualified and so forth. But look, I'm getting sidetracked here. Carson did not lie about meeting Westmoreland, and when you're a young kid and you're talking to Westmoreland... You're the top-ranking ROTC kid in your town and you're talking to General William Westmoreland, the Army chief of staff, and he starts singing the virtues of West Point and informing you and telling you how West Point works, somebody like Ben Carson might have assumed that a scholarship was what was being discussed.

I mean, folks, it's not... What are we dealing with here? It's not like he doesn't remember what happened the night of Benghazi. It's not like Ben Carson has lied about any number of things, like the cost of health care premiums. Like Obama just, again, rejected the Keystone pipeline and told a couple of big whoppers. He said it will not be a factor on gasoline prices and it won't be a factor on the oil supply or the nation's economy. Both of those are big, fat whoppers. If you want to start talking about whoppers, it's always fascinating how the only people that ever get called on it and accused of it are Republicans.

Has the media ever gone through Obama's books and tracked down his assertions? 'Cause, I mean, there are some whoppers. See, the alternative media has done that. The conservative media has tracked down Obama's assertions, many of them. And how about the idea that Obama literally made up boyfriends and girlfriends and so forth and then combined various people into one fictitious character? And I remember the media praising that as a brilliant literary creation or usage.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: I have here in my formerly nicotine-stained fingers, a New York Times column by Maureen Dowd, the infamous MoDo, from June 15th of 1994. So this is 21 years ago. "Hillary Clinton Says She Once Tried to Be a Marine." Yes. "The First Lady has offered a kaleidoscope of images to the public, but today she added the most curious one yet: Private Hillary. Speaking at a lunch on Capitol Hill honoring military women, Hillary Rodham Clinton said that she once visited a recruiting office in Arkansas to inquire about joining the Marines."


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: carson; elections; giftedhands; hillaryclinton; limbaugh; marines; mediabias; rushlimbaugh; usarmy; usmc; westpoint
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1 posted on 11/06/2015 2:02:54 PM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Rush was on fire about this (as you see above) and called this fascist media out cold. It really is time to do something - even if you aren’t a Carson supporter...they cannot be allowed to proceed in assassination by innuendo.


2 posted on 11/06/2015 2:07:35 PM PST by Shady (We are at war again......this time for our lives...)
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More in the link


3 posted on 11/06/2015 2:08:08 PM PST by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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To: Shady

True but plenty here were happy about this bs also, sad to say


4 posted on 11/06/2015 2:08:25 PM PST by italianquaker
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To: italianquaker

Disppointed how many FRers jumped on bandwagon with liberal media !


5 posted on 11/06/2015 2:14:47 PM PST by nevermorelenore
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To: nevermorelenore; italianquaker
many FRers jumped on bandwagon with liberal media !

Not to mention Trump.

6 posted on 11/06/2015 2:23:22 PM PST by Jeff Chandler (“!...��...â€Ã¢â€šÂ…ââ‚Â)
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To: Shady
I'll admit it, I'm a fan of Dr. Carson - no, not for President but I'm still a fan of his and I'm incensed at the lying, despicable MSM that care little about the people they destroy or the lies they spread, intentionally to destroy others!

It's time to dig into the past of every media ghoul that champion this lie!

Just who are these whores who are gleefully "reporting" lies?

Come on FR friends, surely some of us are from the part of the country where these vermin came from or are living now!

Surely someone here knows a brother, sister or in-law, preferably exin-law who'd be only to happy to dish the dirt on them.

7 posted on 11/06/2015 2:25:08 PM PST by zerosix (Native Sunflower)
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To: Kaslin

I read that someone is coming out with a love child story too. They never quit.


8 posted on 11/06/2015 2:29:00 PM PST by Trillian
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To: Kaslin

I was saying yesterday that the MSM is gonna “Herman Cain” Ben Carson....


9 posted on 11/06/2015 2:39:20 PM PST by GraceG (Protect the Border from Illegal Aliens, Don't Protect Illegal Alien Boarders...)
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To: Kaslin

What is the difference between “All costs are covered” and “A full scholarship”? Carson had been encouraged to apply with the implication that he would be accepted. Had he been accepted, all costs would have been covered. I think a reasonable person would consider that pretty much the same thing as a “Full scholarship”.


10 posted on 11/06/2015 2:39:32 PM PST by Chuckster ("Them Rag Heads just ain't rational" Curly Bartley 1973)
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To: Kaslin
ThePoliticoBS photo ThePoliticoBS_zpsqhqq5ish.jpg

11 posted on 11/06/2015 3:30:29 PM PST by Col Freeper (Liberals: Devoted members of the "Church of the Eternally Offended".)
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To: Chuckster

I have a cousin who attended West Point and I had no idea about tuition or scholarships or any of that and I lived in upstate NY for a while... A ghost written book with chapter based on the hazy memory of an important event in a teenagers life where the story is substantially in-line with the history that can be verified doesn’t bother me at all...

How many of us have told a story at a party with old friends and have had disagreements about the particulars? Probably all of us. In fact this sort of thing is a sign of TRUTHFULNESS and honesty... something lacking in Washington.


12 posted on 11/06/2015 3:43:12 PM PST by Neidermeyer ("Our courts should not be collection agencies for crooks." � John Waihee, Governor of Hawaii, 1)
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To: Neidermeyer

The initial rapid negative response from Freepers was. and remains, shocking. Trolls took over. Multiple duplicate posts were red flags. My financial support will wait. I called for the thread to be pulled. Sad day on FreeRepublic.


13 posted on 11/06/2015 3:55:06 PM PST by codder too
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To: Kaslin

Many thanks to Rush for dousing this shitstorm with truth.


14 posted on 11/06/2015 4:31:38 PM PST by ScottinVA (If you're not enraged...why?)
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To: nevermorelenore

I admit to have initially taken that damned Politico story at face value without waiting for a fact check.


15 posted on 11/06/2015 4:33:19 PM PST by ScottinVA (If you're not enraged...why?)
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To: codder too

Yes it was. What aggravates the situation is the fact Carson is giving Trump a fight in terms of support, so he draws more flak than he otherwise would.


16 posted on 11/06/2015 4:35:27 PM PST by ScottinVA (If you're not enraged...why?)
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To: Kaslin
Absolute BASTARDS. Don't rush to ft in bed with them and their slander, just because it might help your candidate. Stand for truth and justice. This man is being WRONGED horribly.

17 posted on 11/06/2015 5:24:34 PM PST by AmericanInTokyo (Curb your appetite for 'red meat' & you just might get a bonafide Conservative nominee, not a phony)
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To: Kaslin

Just an extention of slimey idiot lawyer tactics like Megan Kelly. They cannot discuss a subject on the economy, so they ask personal questions and attack the person, completely off presidential subject. Meanwhile they reserve the “Presidential” questions for Obama and make him an Affirmative Action Messiah.

Only him is allowed to speak of Key Stone pipeline without anyone allowed to ridicule his theory or the Hillary ties to Russian oil business.

Meanwhile the right displays zero solidarity and you have idiot Jeb attacking conservatives necause right now he feels immune, but that never last long. He never will be presidential material. jeb is an idiot.


18 posted on 11/06/2015 9:04:33 PM PST by lavaroise (A well regulated gun being necessary to the state, the rights of the militia shall no)
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To: ScottinVA

I have never trusted that left-wing publication when it came online and I knew I was right.


19 posted on 11/06/2015 9:09:52 PM PST by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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To: lavaroise

You’re not helping either


20 posted on 11/06/2015 9:12:54 PM PST by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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