Posted on 11/06/2015 8:33:42 AM PST by GIdget2004
Ben Carsonâs 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.
The academy has occupied a central place in Carsonâs tale for years. According to a story told in Carsonâs book, âGifted Hands,â the then-17 year old was introduced in 1969 to Gen. William Westmoreland, who had just ended his command of U.S. forces in Vietnam, and the two dined together. That meeting, according to Carsonâs telling, was followed by a âfull scholarshipâ to the military academy.
West Point, however, has no record of Carson applying, much less being extended admission.
âIn 1969, those who would have completed the entire process would have received their acceptance letters from the Army Adjutant General,â said Theresa Brinkerhoff, a spokeswoman for the academy. She said West Point has no records that indicate Carson even began the application process. âIf he chose to pursue (the application process) then we would have records indicating such,â she said.
When presented with this evidence, Carsonâs campaign conceded the story was false.
âDr. Carson was the top ROTC student in the City of Detroit,â campaign manager Barry Bennett wrote in an email to POLITICO. âIn that role he was invited to meet General Westmoreland. He believes it was at a banquet. He canât remember with specificity their brief conversation but it centered around Dr. Carsonâs performance as ROTC City Executive Officer.â
âHe was introduced to folks from West Point by his ROTC Supervisors,â Bennett went on. âThey 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.â
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
What I keep saying is that this attack is NOT a surprise to me, nor its viciousness, nor its universal acceptance by the drive bys because this was the plan all along to somehow knock Trump out of the lead with another candidate (one of the outsiders), then quickly take out that outsider. I knew the minute Carson got a lead in several polls he would be hit. I had no idea it would come this fast---I thought the drive bys and the other GOPe consultants would wait a few weeks to make sure Trump was "good and dead." I think they blew it. Trump is not only quite alive, but this will gain Carson a number of supporters who, perhaps prior to this were waivering with some of his comments about the pyramids and illegals.
I do think this will knock him down a few points, but will not be the knockout the GOPe hoped.
My constant caution to Cruz supporters is that to some extent I think his numbers have been just as manipulated and inflated as Carson's, and if he gets anywhere near the lead, you won't believe the crap storm that will descend on him.
Firstly, forgive me if previous posters have already stated this.
Politico reporters are partisan hacks that should never be taken for anything but lying shills.
This, in my view, boils down to a question of semantics.
There are two distinct steps when seeking to attend a service academy: nomination and appointment.
Nomination: a nomination to the academy must be procured as part of the application processâ with the exception of the children of Medal of Honor winners, who are automatically nominated. Members of Congress can give out nominations. JROTC units that score certain scores in national reviews can hand out nominations to qualified cadets. The Vice President can also give out nominations.
Appointment: a future cadet is considered having obtained an appointment when he or she has completed the application process which includes physical aptitude tests, a full physical, home interviews, and all qualifications (test scores, grades, etc) are met.
ALL service academy applicants are technically âon full scholarshipâ because their tuition, room, board, books, etc are all paid for by US taxpayers.
It sounds like Ben Carson was told that he would qualify for a JROTC nomination to West Point. He did not receive an appointment (acceptance). In fact it appears he did not even seek a nomination.
I know all of this because I received a JROTC nomination to the US Naval Academy. I had my home initial visit/interview and completed my physical fitness test. However, I chose to resign my nomination before matters progressed any further. (Biggest mistake of my life? Maybe.)
Honestly, I feel that this story is ridiculous nitpicking over semantics. Dr. Carson was obviously an excellent JROTC cadet who was eligible to receive a nomination. He chose not to. My only concern with this story is if Dr. Carson was somehow trying to say that this experience gives him some insight into military life and affairs. However, I understand that the point being made in his book was that JROTC saved him from a life of violence and povertyâ AS IT DOES FOR THOUSANDS. In that case, Dr. Carson is without fault, in my opinion, on this matter.
Hook. Line. Sinker. Congrats.
Politico telling a lie about their initial lie.
Who’d a thunk it?
This is typical witch hunting and dung digging by the MSM to find any shred of anything they can spin into a scandal.
He was an extremely gifted kid, who was the top ROTC candidate in Detroit that year.
From his perspective an offer to get him an appointment would have sounded like a scholarship to any kid from the projects.
In essence, an appointment is a full ride scholarship...but it is different because it requires a senatorial/congressional backing. But he never went that far...at all.
He was going on what people were telling him as a teenager...but he mad it clear then, and it is clear now that he had no interest. His own record of what he did speaks for itself.
They will do anything to bring him down...just like they did Herman Cain.
"Do we sacrifice Carson, and make a HUGE deal about lying?"Absolutely. No hypocrisy. We slam Hilary for lying, we need to do no less to the liars on our side.
We have to make a big deal about lying. That is the thing we will hit Hillary on in the general no matter who our nominee is.
As the mother of a West Point graduate, I understand completely what Carson was saying, as I was up front and there during my son’s application and appointment to the USMA.
Carson’s memory as a high school graduate rings true. West Point decides who will be eligible to apply for admission. That is the first step in a long process. WP sends the list of the applicants they down to the local level, where applicants are interviewed by local Army officers, and sent on to their local congressperson, who has a committee to review the already screened applicants.
Based on Carson’s writing, it is entirely consistent that he was told, based on his scores and performance in ROTC, that he could “win a scholarship/appointment if he decided to apply and go through the process. He decided not to do so, eventually.
Everyone who is accepted, then offered an appointment, wins a “scholarship”, in effect, as there is no charge for attending West Point, and in fact cadets are paid a stipend, out of which they must purchase their uniforms and other essentials.
I hope this helps to clarify the issue.
What difference does it make?
Another enlightening statement. I think happy hour is over. :-)
As I said before, Dr. Jeckel versus Mr.Hyde! Done! See ya Dr. Ben Strange Carson.
Sorry....scratch my comments on Carson!! Sorry if its Bogus!!
I noticed that too.
He did not lie.
He says he was offered and he turned it down. That he ended up at Yale says that he had the academic background to have been encouraged to attend West Point.
“I canât believe they let this idiot work on peoplesâ brains.”
Better him than you.
DO NOT CALL YOURSELVES CONSERVATIVES - CONSERVATIVES ARE A H*LL OF A LOT MORE INTELLIGENT THAN TO BELIEVE THIS POLITICO DEMORAT HACK PIECE !!!
Bump to the top!
BTTT!
As this hatchet job has unfolded, today, I have been utterly amazed at the number of self-declared “conservatives” who just lapped it up; swallowing the entire thing hook, line, and sinker, and threw Ben under the bus without so much as a second guess.
THINK about this:
TOO MANY just wholly bought into the LIE spewed by their political opponents, and — on the basis of that LIE — turned RIGHT around and skewered a guy who’s a friend to the overarching conservative cause.
I’m just blown away at the overt display of SHALLOW thinking, and the exhibited readiness to react in total IGNORANCE of the facts. There were those who posted the facts on this thread; they were in the shockingly small minority. Most everyone else smelled blood in the water and went in for the feeding frenzy, duplicating in hypocritical exactitude the very behavior they regularly and roundly pillory the left for.
So much for conservatives being a better, more well-reasoned group.
Excellent answer.
These are not true conservatives, they would not be jumping to conclusions so quickly with such an obviously DemoRAT hack piece.
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