GMA, NY Sun, Politico cut out part of Obama sentence in claiming he "stumbled" on driver's license question

In reporting on the November 15 Democratic presidential candidates debate, ABC's Good Morning America and The New York Sun misleadingly cropped Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) answer to a question regarding driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants in reporting that Obama "stumbled" on and "had problems" with the issue. Reporting that the debate's moderator, CNN host Wolf Blitzer, asked Obama, "Do you support or oppose driver's licenses for illegal immigrants," the Sun and Good Morning America quoted Obama saying: "I am not proposing that that's what we do," and: "I have already said I support the notion that we have to deal with public safety." Both the Sun and Good Morning America, however, cropped Obama's answer, failing to include the remaining portion of his sentence, in which he restated his support for allowing undocumented immigrants to have driver's licenses: "Look, I have already said I support the notion that we have to deal with public safety and that driver's licenses at the state level can make that happen" [emphasis added].

Politico chief political columnist Roger Simon also cropped Obama's answer in his November 16 column and claimed that Obama had a "real stumble" on the driver's license issue. Simon wrote that Obama gave "a non-answer answer," and quoted Obama saying, "No, no, no, no, look," writing that Obama was "trying to stumble his way out of his own answer." Simon did not quote Obama's subsequent statement: "I have already said I support the notion that we have to deal with public safety and that driver's licenses at the state level can make that happen."

From the November 15 debate:

BLITZER: Well, let's go through everybody because I want to be precise. I want to make sure the viewers and those of us who are here fully understand all of your positions on this barring -- avoiding, assuming there isn't going to be comprehensive immigration reform.

Do you support or oppose driver's licenses for illegal immigrants?

OBAMA: I am not proposing that that's what we do. What I'm saying is that we can't --

[laughter]

No, no, no, no. Look, I have already said I support the notion that we have to deal with public safety and that driver's licenses at the state level can make that happen. But what I also know --

BLITZER: All right --

OBAMA: But what I also know, Wolf, is that if we keep on getting distracted by this problem, then we are not solving it.

On the November 16 broadcast of Good Morning America, co-anchor Kate Snow reported that Obama "stumbled" when asked about the driver's licenses, but she cropped Obama's full answer:

SNOW: On giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, Clinton simplified her opinion.

CLINTON: No.

SNOW: This time Obama stumbled.

OBAMA: I am not proposing that that's what we do. What I'm saying is that we can't --

[laughter]

No, no, no, no. Look, I have already said I support the notion that we have to deal with public safety.

SNOW: As for the gender card:

CLINTON: And I understand very well that people are not attacking me because I'm a woman. They're attacking me because I'm ahead.

A November 16 New York Sun article headlined "Obama falters over illegal immigrants" similarly cropped Obama's statements in reporting that he "had problems" with the topic:

Senator Obama, who has presented himself as the top alternative to Senator Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary race, had problems with a debate question on the same topic Mrs. Clinton flubbed in their party's last debate: illegal immigration.

In response to a question on whether he would support giving driver's licenses to undocumented workers, Mr. Obama started off by saying, "When I was a state senator in Illinois, I voted to require that illegal aliens get trained, get a license, get insurance to protect public safety. That was my intention."

He went on to make a joke that undocumented workers don't come to America to drive, prompting laughter from the audience.

But the moderator, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, asked Mr. Obama again what his position was on driver's licenses for the undocumented. The Illinois senator responded: "I am not proposing that that's what we do." He then went on to say, "I have already said I support the notion that we have to deal with public safety."

That answer prompted Mr. Blitzer to remark: "This is the sort of question available to a yes or no answer."

From Simon's November 16 Politico column:

But when it came to a real stumble, Clinton left that to her chief opponent, Barack Obama.

He tried the same duck-and-cover tactic that Clinton failed at in the last debate and on the same subject: driver's licenses for illegal immigrants.

When CNN moderator Wolf Blitzer asked Obama if he supported giving out such licenses, Obama replied: "When I was a state senator in Illinois, I voted to require that illegal aliens get trained, get a license, get insurance to protect public safety. That was my intention."

But Blitzer was not going to settle for a non-answer answer and said: "Do you support or oppose driver's licenses for illegal immigrants?"

Obama replied: "I am not proposing that that's what we do."

This led to laughter in the debate hall, and it was not the good kind of laughter.

"No, no, no, no, look," Obama said, trying to stumble his way out of his own answer, but Blitzer was properly relentless.

"This is the kind of question that is sort of available for a yes or no answer," Blitzer said and the audience laughed again.

And, again, it was not the kind of laughter that Obama wanted to hear.

Finally, Blitzer said: "Sen. Obama, yes or no?"

Obama was pinned. "Yes," he replied.

—S.S.M.