http://mediamatters.org/tools/syndication/tag_rss/barack_obama This link is for use by RSS-enabled software to retrieve Media Matters items matching the term: Barack Obama en-US Copyright 2008, Media Matters for America http://mediamatters.org/items/200805120006 On <em>America's Newsroom</em>, Andrea Tantaros stated: "Barack Obama refuses to salute the flag. He refuses to wear a flag pin. He's been named the most liberal senator in the United States Senate right now." Bill Hemmer did not challenge her statements, the first two of which are false and the third of which echoes a <em>National Journal </em>rating given Obama that was based on a limited number of Senate votes selected by<em> National Journal</em> staff. http://mediamatters.org/items/200805120006 Mon, 12 May 2008 20:19:06 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200805120002 The Drudge Report ran the headline "West Virginia country folk keep distance from Obama: 'I heard he's a Muslim ...' " in linking to a <em>Financial Times </em>article. The article quoted a West Virginia resident stating, "I heard Obama is a Muslim and his wife's an atheist." But Obama is, in fact, not a Muslim. While the article characterized the rumors of Obama's religion as "unfounded," it did so 12 paragraphs after quoting the "I heard he's a Muslim" assertion and did not report that the Obamas are both Christians. http://mediamatters.org/items/200805120002 Mon, 12 May 2008 13:35:17 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200805090005 Referring to comments Sen. Barack Obama made during a CNN interview, Fox News' Julie Banderas stated that Obama "made what some are calling a dig at John McCain's age." But Banderas did not provide the full context of Obama's remark, nor did she note that Obama was responding to a smear by McCain. http://mediamatters.org/items/200805090005 Fri, 9 May 2008 14:48:19 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200805090004 A <em>Wall Street Journal</em> article reported that "Sen. [Barack] Obama suggested Sen. [John] McCain was 'losing his bearings,' " and noted the response of a McCain adviser, who "called it a 'not particularly clever way of raising John McCain's age as an issue.' " But the <em>Journal</em> did not note the context of Obama's remark, which he made after accusing McCain of violating his pledge to avoid negative campaigning, and it did not report an Obama spokesman's denial that Obama was referring to McCain's age. http://mediamatters.org/items/200805090004 Fri, 9 May 2008 14:41:31 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200805080010 On <em>Special Report</em>, Juan Williams cited Sen. John McCain's record on immigration as evidence of a willingness to "work[] across party lines," without noting that McCain has said he no longer supports his own bipartisan bill. Williams then claimed that Sen. Barack Obama "doesn't have a record" of "working across party lines." In fact, Obama has co-sponsored bills with Republican Sens. Tom Coburn and Richard Lugar that have been signed into law. http://mediamatters.org/items/200805080010 Thu, 8 May 2008 18:55:23 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200805080007 On <em>The Live Desk</em>, Martha MacCallum did not challenge the false assertion by Christine O'Donnell, 2008 GOP Senate candidate in Delaware, that Sen. Barack Obama "and my opponent [Sen. Joe] Biden are pushing for this global tax that would require America to pay tax to the U.N." In fact, the Global Poverty Act, a bill introduced by Obama, would not "require America to pay tax to the U.N.," and it would not commit the United States to any targeted level of spending. http://mediamatters.org/items/200805080007 Thu, 8 May 2008 15:59:50 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200805080002 In addition to a May 7 <em>Washington Times</em> article previously identified by <em>Media Matters</em>, May 6 reports in the <em>Los Angeles Times </em>and on washingtonpost.com and <em>The Baltimore Sun</em>'s website quoted an Indiana man saying that Sen. Barack Obama is "a Muslim" without noting that the assertion was false. http://mediamatters.org/items/200805080002 Thu, 8 May 2008 12:54:59 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200805070006 CNN hosted Republican advertising consultant Alex Castellanos -- creator of racially charged advertisements for former Sen. Jesse Helms -- who echoed the myth invoked by the Bush administration that there was a link between the September 11 attacks, perpetrated by Al Qaeda, and Saddam Hussein's Iraq. In fact, the 9-11 Commission report stated: "We have no credible evidence that Iraq and al Qaeda cooperated on attacks against the United States." http://mediamatters.org/items/200805070006 Wed, 7 May 2008 17:56:30 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200805070001 A <em>Washington Times</em> article uncritically quoted an Indiana man saying of Sen. Barack Obama, "I can't stand him. ... He's a Muslim. He's not even pro-American as far as I'm concerned." By contrast, after quoting the same man in its own article, the <em>Chicago Sun-Times</em> wrote that "Obama has never been a Muslim, but bogus e-mails accuse him of being a Muslim who put his hand on a copy of the Quran to be sworn into the U.S. Senate and refusing to say the Pledge of Allegiance." http://mediamatters.org/items/200805070001 Wed, 7 May 2008 11:42:36 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200805060007 The Associated Press' Libby Quaid wrote that Sen. John McCain "dismissed Democratic rival Barack Obama as having zero national security experience," quoting McCain as saying that Obama "obviously has no national security experience, and therefore that's reflected in his judgment on a number of those issues." Quaid did not challenge McCain's accusation, nor did Quaid note that Obama has been involved in several bills and initiatives related to national security. http://mediamatters.org/items/200805060007 Tue, 6 May 2008 18:03:35 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200805040002 On <em>Fox News Sunday</em>, Bill Kristol falsely claimed that Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama "didn't denounce MoveOn.org when they ran the 'General Betray Us' ad when General [David] Petraeus was testifying before Congress." In fact, both Clinton and Obama voted for an amendment in September 2007 that condemned the ad. Additionally, Clinton stated at the time, "I am an admirer of General Petraeus, as I've said on numerous occasions. I don't condone it, and I joined in voting for a resolution that condemned such attacks." http://mediamatters.org/items/200805040002 Sun, 4 May 2008 15:20:53 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200805020007 In his <em>Newsweek</em> column, George Will falsely claimed that Social Security taxes are levied on household income. He had similarly falsely asserted on ABC's <em>This Week </em>that Sen. Barack Obama "wants to raise taxes on a lot of people, beginning with those earning about $100,000 a year, a household." In fact, Social Security taxes are levied based on individual income, and contrary to his assertion in <em>Newsweek</em>, a married couple with each spouse making less than $102,000 would not face a payroll tax increase if the income cap was raised, even if combined they made more than the current cap. http://mediamatters.org/items/200805020007 Fri, 2 May 2008 19:09:58 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200805020006 Discussing the fact that Sen. Barack Obama reportedly asked for orange juice instead of coffee during an April 10 campaign stop at an Indiana diner, Abe Greenwald wrote in a post on the <em>Commentary</em> blog "contentions": "It's not that Obama seemed to hold himself above the coffee drinkers. It's that he seemed to lag behind them. He's still on the fruit juice while the adults are sipping bitter and bracing coffee." http://mediamatters.org/items/200805020006 Fri, 2 May 2008 18:45:25 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200805020003 On<em> Hardball</em>, Chris Matthews asserted: "Look, the war's not going to be any more popular in November. It may be somewhat OK with 30, 40 percent of the people, but it's never going to be a winner. The economy's not going to be a winner. So what do you have with [Sen. John] McCain? Integrity." But Matthews did not note his own role in promoting that image of McCain, despite numerous false assertions and inconsistencies. http://mediamatters.org/items/200805020003 Fri, 2 May 2008 16:31:05 EST http://mediamatters.org/items/200805010007 MSNBC's Joe Scarborough stated that Sen. Barack Obama has "the most liberal record in the Senate, according to the <em>National Journal</em>," but he did not mention a respected, comprehensive vote study that found Obama was the 10th most liberal senator in 2007. http://mediamatters.org/items/200805010007 Thu, 1 May 2008 17:32:27 EST