I am just a woman who works every day, who was ill and unable to work for over a year and a half, and am now trying to pay off medical bills, and still keep current with all the utilities, car payment etc. I had to use my credit cards to the max to pay some doctors or get sued. I have very good insurance but it did not cover all expenses added to the normal living expenses. I had a good case against the doctor for mal-practice but it seems in a small place everyone is good friends with each other and would not take the case. Then another attorney stated I had a case against the first attorney as he kept my files for 5 months and did nothing, then sent them back stating no way, but during the time he had my files the time had lasped so I am out in the cold on that one. I am listing to what both sides say and to me who cares what they said years ago, this is 2008 and one should make their decision on the person and not bring up things that at this time means nothing and there is nothing anyone can do about the old stuff. Get real. Live on my salary for a year and then see how they do paying ALL their bills on one pay check. Past presidents need to live off social security, we do not need to pay for secret service men/women to still guard them. If they invested wisely they would be well off. Just thoughts of what the real, REAL, world is like for a majority of the citizens.
FactChecking Debate No. 1
Facts muddled in Mississippi McCain-Obama meeting.
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Summary
McCain and Obama contradicted each other repeatedly during their first debate, and each volunteered some factual misstatements as well. Here's how we sort them out:
- Obama said McCain adviser Henry Kissinger backs talks with Iran "without preconditions," but McCain disputed that. In fact, Kissinger did recently call for "high level" talks with Iran starting at the secretary of state level and said, "I do not believe that we can make conditions." After the debate the McCain campaign issued a statement quoting Kissinger as saying he didn't favor presidential talks with Iran.
- Obama denied voting for a bill that called for increased taxes on "people" making as little as $42,000 a year, as McCain accused him of doing. McCain was right, though only for single taxpayers. A married couple would have had to make $83,000 to be affected by the vote, and anyway no such increase is in Obama's tax plan.
- McCain and Obama contradicted each other on what Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen said about troop withdrawals. Mullen said a time line for withdrawal could be "very dangerous" but was not talking specifically about "Obama's plan," as McCain maintained.
- McCain tripped up on one of his signature issues – special appropriation "earmarks." He said they had "tripled in the last five years," when in fact they have decreased sharply.
Obama claimed Iraq "has" a $79 billion surplus. It once was projected to be as high as that. It's now down to less than $60 billion. - McCain repeated his overstated claim that the U.S. pays $700 billion a year for oil to hostile nations. Imports are running at about $536 billion this year, and a third of it comes from Canada, Mexico and the U.K.
- Obama said 95 percent of "the American people" would see a tax cut under his proposal. The actual figure is 81 percent of households.
- Obama mischaracterized an aspect of McCain's health care plan, saying "employers" would be taxed on the value of health benefits provided to workers. Employers wouldn't, but the workers would. McCain also would grant workers up to a $5,000 tax credit per family to cover health insurance.
McCain misrepresented Obama's plan by claiming he'd be "handing the health care system over to the federal government." Obama would expand some government programs but would allow people to keep their current plans or chose from private ones, as well.
McCain claimed Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower had drafted a letter of resignation from the Army to be sent in case the 1944 D-Day landing at Normandy turned out to be a failure. Ike prepared a letter taking responsibility, but he didn't mention resigning.
For full details, as well as other dubious claims and statements, please read our full Analysis section.
Analysis
The first of three scheduled debates between Republican Sen. John McCain and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama took place Sept. 26 on the campus of the University of Mississippi at Oxford. It was sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates. It was carried live on national television networks and was moderated by Jim Lehrer, executive editor and anchor of the PBS "NewsHour" program.
We noted these factual misstatements:
Did Kissinger Back Obama?
McCain attacked Obama for his declaration that he would meet with leaders of Iran and other hostile nations "without preconditions." To do so with Iran, McCain said, "isn't just naive; it's dangerous." Obama countered by saying former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger – a McCain adviser – agreed with him:
Obama: Senator McCain mentioned Henry Kissinger, who's one of his advisers, who, along with five recent secretaries of state, just said that we should meet with Iran – guess what – without precondition. This is one of your own advisers.
McCain rejected Obama's claim:
Discuss