Media outlets uncritically reported McCain's dubious defense of vote against Bush tax cuts

SUMMARY: CNN national correspondent John King uncritically reported that Sen. John McCain "says he opposed the Bush tax cuts because the plan did not also include spending cuts." The Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg, and the Palm Beach Post also similarly reported McCain's assertion. But in a floor statement during the Senate debate on the 2001 tax cut bill, McCain did not mention the absence of offsetting spending cuts; rather, he stated, "I cannot in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate among us, at the expense of middle class Americans who most need tax relief."

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