The idea to a fact-check is to report the actual facts, not to echo a campaign’s claims. CNN doesn’t seem to get this:
The Statement: During an October 15 presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain attacked Democratic opponent Sen. Barack Obama for his stance on abortion. “Sen. Obama, as a member of the Illinois State Senate, voted in the Judiciary Committee against a law that would provide immediate medical attention to a child born of a failed abortion,” McCain said. . .
Verdict: Misleading. Obama voted against the legislation, but said doing so was not a vote against caring for the children, because there was already an Illinois law that required treating babies born alive during abortions.
(Via the Corner.) (Emphasis mine.) I suppose this is literally accurate. Obama did say that, but it isn’t true. The Illinois law did not protect babies born alive; that was precisely why the legislation was written.
This isn’t the first time that CNN’s “fact-check” has accepted Obama’s word as fact on this very subject. Back in August, Obama’s story on born-alive was different. At the time, he was claiming that the legislation lacked a provision protecting Roe v. Wade. That wasn’t true, but it didn’t stop CNN from repeating Obama’s claim as fact.
Obama’s position on this issue was indefensible. He favored leaving babies to die when they had been born during botched abortions. All he can do is obfuscate, and hope the media plays along. Clearly he needn’t worry about CNN.
Internet Scofflaw 