On the August 18 edition of FOX News Channel's Hannity & Colmes, co-host Sean Hannity sought to distinguish Bush administration officials' use of the term “sensitive” to describe foreign policy and counterterrorism efforts from similar comments Senator John Kerry (D-MA) has made. Hannity falsely claimed that the Bush administration officials' remarks came “before 9-11 and they dealt with an entirely different context than what John Kerry was saying.”

Hannity's erroneous defense of the Bush administration's remarks came after guest Martin Lewis -- a humorist, columnist, and political commentator -- pointed out (apparently referencing a Media Matters for America report that cited the Center for American Progress) that, since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney (4/13), Attorney General John Ashcroft (4/28/03), and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld (2/5/03) have all declared the need to be “sensitive” in conducting foreign policy and military operations.

As both MMFA and Lewis noted, Bush used the word as recently as August 6 -- the day after Kerry used it in a speech and drew attacks from the Bush administration and from numerous conservative pundits.