It is one thing to think that Joseph of biblical fame built the Pyramids to store grain; it is another to lie about your resume. GOP candidate has owned up to a pretty big lie:
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 U.S. 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 U.S. 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.
“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.”
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.
It won’t deter his most ardent supporters (the GOP is full of rabid supporters), but I think this one might stick and hurt him otherwise. I’m not sure he can attack others (including Hillary) on credibility issues.
UPDATE: They are trying to defend this at right-wing sites:
I don’t see a big deal here. If Westmoreland told me “with your grades and ROTC performance, you’d get a full ride at West Point,” I would in fact tell that story as “I was offered a full ride at West Point.”
Well, maybe I wouldn’t, actually. I think I’d actually say I was told I could get a full ride at West Point by General Westmoreland.
Still, I can see telling it the other way, in shorthand. (For example, if this was two sentences in a book — I can see the events being collapsed and streamlined into the bullet point.)
Perhaps that’s true. As a way of shorthand. Problem is, the people on the right don’t allow that kind of common sense parsing when it comes to, say, everyday use of the word “is” (see Clinton, Bill). And another problem, he repeats that shorthand a lot.
UPDATE #2: The Carson pushback is at The Daily Caller (Glenn Beck’s site):
“The campaign never ‘admitted to anything,’” a spokesman for Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson told The Daily Caller News Foundation in response to a hit by Politico claiming his campaign admitted to “fabricating” a key point about his West Point story.
“The Politico story is an outright Lie,” Doug Watts told TheDCNF.
Politico published a piece Friday claiming Carson’s campaign “admits fabricating” the fact that he applied and was admitted to West Point.
“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 U.S. Military Academy at West Point,” Kyle Cheney writes in the lede.
That’s a bit weak. They don’t explain the West Point story, or correct it. They just say that never “admitted fabricating” it. Doesn’t mean that they didn’t fabricate the West Point story — it just means they’re not admitting the fabrication.
And now the New York Times clarifies:
In an interview with The New York Times Friday, Mr. Carson said: “I don’t remember all the specific details. Because I had done so extraordinarily well you know I was told that someone like me – they could get a scholarship to West Point. But I made it clear I was going to pursue a career in medicine.”
“It was, you know, an informal ‘with a record like yours we could easily get you a scholarship to West Point.’”
Mr. Carson has recounted the episode of being offered a scholarship at various points in telling his triumphant personal story. (Technically, West Point does not offer scholarships; it is free to attend.)
Technically, West Point does not offer scholarships? It is free? Um… well. That’s kind of relevant, isn’t it?
Either Carson is lying or he misremembered it.
UPDATE #3: Conservative sites like Ace of Spades are really straining to clean this up:
Carson’s book does have a single line: “Later I was offered a full scholarship to West Point. This isn’t quite wrong either. Nobody gets scholarships per se to West Point….
In other words, if it is a BAD LIE (i.e., nobody gets scholarships per se to West Point), then we can conclude that what Carson said “isn’t quite wrong”.
Query: If something “isn’t quite wrong”, isn’t that a way of saying that it “isn’t quite right” either? Perhaps Ace of Spades would care to elaborate on what isn’t quite right, too.
UPDATE #4: Politico changed its headline, and took out the “admitted” reference, which was good. That said, I still think Carson mischaracterized his West Point “offer” at best; lied about it at worst. You be the judge.