We long have extolled the virtues of technology in establishing truth and outing liars. It has been a recurring theme in our reporting on my unlawful termination at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). And it might have decided last night's presidential debate.
My employment matter, of course, is minute in comparison to the weighty topics that President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney debated in Hempstead, New York. But I have come to appreciate the importance of a recording that can clear up muddy waters. I have a feeling that President Obama shares that appreciation this morning.
In this little corner of the world, an audiotape proves that I was fired because of my reporting about the political prosecution of former Democratic governor Don Siegelman. That tape shows that UAB officials were lying when they claimed I was fired because of insubordination and declining performance. (See video at the end of this post.)
Mitt Romney experienced such an unmasking in last night's presidential debate. It might have been the single most dramatic moment of the campaign and perhaps re-established Obama as the favorite when voters go to the polls on November 6.
Romney stepped into trouble when the debate turned to the September 11 attacks on the U.S. consulate in Libya. The attacks killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, and Romney claimed that it took Obama two weeks to label them an act of terror. Obama challenged the GOP nominee to "look at the transcripts," and moderator Candy Crowley quickly established that the president had referred to the attacks as acts of terror the very next day.
Romney clearly thought he had found a soft spot with the president and intended to bully him on it. But Obama--with the help of Crowley and technology--turned the tables.
At the debate's conclusion, major networks provided video of Obama's September 12 statement from the White House Rose Garden. And transcripts from that day showed that Romney was lying during the debate. Here is the key segment of Obama's statement, as reported by Business Insider, just moments after last night's debate had ended:
No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character, or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for. Today we mourn four more Americans who represent the very best of the United States of America. We will not waver in our commitment to see that justice is done for this terrible act. And make no mistake, justice will be done.
Thanks to technology, and a clear record, we know without a doubt that Mitt Romney will resort to falsehoods in an effort to gain an upper hand in the election. Why does that issue hit so close to home for me? The following video, which unmasks my former employer as a liar and a bully, tells the story:
Thanks for your take on this, LS. The networks sure were quick to pull out that videotape from the Rose Garden statement. Good for them.
ReplyDeleteThis episode tells me that Republicans aren't all that interested in fighting terrorism. They are more interested in trying to score political points off of terrorism.
ReplyDeleteOne of the great moments in presidential debate history. I'm proud that a woman played a major role in it.
ReplyDeleteMethinks Romney handed momentum back to the Obama campaign.
ReplyDeleteCatching liars in the act is one of life's great pleasures.
ReplyDeleteTo thine own self be true, then thou cannot be false to any, Shakespeare
ReplyDeleteRepublicans in the history of the United States Presidency have not one, been true, to their own self, and certain America suffers in one UN Patriot Act after another.
Great post LS, thank you.
Really ?
ReplyDeleteA story at salon says the "binders full of women" story isn't true. It says women's groups went to Romney, not the other way around. And it happened before the election.
ReplyDeleteIs it possible that Romney is such a bully in these debates because we have a black president?
ReplyDeleteGeorge W. Bush was a dolt, but he never acted with disrespect toward his opponent in a debate.
I bet Romney's claws come out because Obama is black. And his supporters, who are mostly white, rich, and racist, feed that.
"... But Candy threw a monkey wrench into the mix and defeated a complex and carefully orchestrated plan. We know from William Colby that the CIA owns everyone of significance in the major media, where it should come as no surprise that she is being so massively assailed from so many sources. A nice example is L. Brent Bozell, “Candy Crawley Self-Destructs”, who writes:
ReplyDeleteJust how badly did CNN’s Candy Crowley destroy her first (and hopefully last) attempt as a presidential debate moderator? More than 65 million people saw that she is to debate moderation as CNN is to “news.”
Barack Obama made a fatal mistake when he lied, claiming he’d labeled the Libya attack as an act of terrorism. The look on Romney’s face said it all: Mr. President, here comes checkmate.
Then Crowley leapt to Obama’s defense, declared a lie a truth, changed the subject, and Obama was free.
It was a travesty.
But it’s all a charade. Obama did not lie.
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2012/10/19/how-candy-crowley-defeated-the-gop/