Palin Repeats "Bridge To Nowhere" Falsehood Again Despite Intense Criticism

Speaking in Lebanon, Ohio today, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin repeated her frequently debunked lie on the "bridge to nowhere," which originated in her speech to the Republican National Convention last Wednesday. As the crowd cheered, Palin (falsely) recounted how she told the U.S. Congress "thanks but no thanks" for the project that has become a symbol of wasteful government spending.

Virtually every media outlet -- from the Wall Street Journal to FactCheck.org -- that has investigated the claim has found it to be a wholesale fiction. Though Palin did abandon her onetime support for the bridge after winning Alaska's governorship, she did so only after federal dollars dried up. Moreover, she kept the federal funds already given to Alaska.

Yet Palin still continues to use the line in each and every stump speech. In response, the Obama campaign is turning to humor. "On the same day that dozens of news organizations have exposed Governor Palin's phony Bridge to Nowhere claim as a 'naked lie,' she and John McCain continue to repeat the claim in their stump speeches. Maybe tomorrow she'll tell us she sold it on eBay," said Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor.

The eBay dig is a reference to another tall tale from the McCain-Palin campaign -- the idea that the governor sold a luxury jet online. Palin herself has scrupulously avoided saying outright that she sold the plane on eBay -- merely saying that she "put" it on eBay. But McCain himself strayed into the realm of untruth last week by claiming that Palin not only "sold it" through the online auction site, but also did so "at a profit." In fact, the eBay auction was a failure, and Alaska had to sell the plane offline, at a $600,000 loss.

Comments

[SoCalNick]

To be Honest, If I were them I would LIE EVERYDAY! Make up ANYTHING I want and put it out as facts. These Crazed right wingers will NEVER have enough Brains to question me ANYHOW. Are the republican voters AFRAID of their Politicians? Why are they so afraid to use their right to question them? The Main reason why McCain couldn't be a Democrat is he couldn't stand up to our scrutiny. Not to mention we don't listen to people who finished LAST in School.

[hhyatt]

Incorrect. McCain was not last -- he was fourth from the bottom. There were 3 other DA's dumber than Johnny Boy.

[maxwellinformed]

They've only given her one speech and she repeats the same lies over and over again. The question I want to hear on the news is, "why are the polls so close when Palin is lying?"

[Daniboy]

Newsflash-A republican proposal in congress back during Katrina, End the bridge to nowhere and give money to Katrina victims, Barrack and Biden voted against it. Anybody how McCain voted?

[GhiaccioPronto]

Question: On the Amendment (Coburn Amdt. No. 2165, As Modified )

SA 2165. Mr. COBURN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 3058, making appropriations for the Departments of Transportation

(send the money instead to Hurricane damaged New Orleans for) ``Reconstruction of Twin Spans Bridge connecting New Orleans and Slidell, Louisiana''.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?r109:1:./temp/~r109EOxdQ1:e178233:

Obama opposed SA 2165

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00262

[LAB11]

Look! Talking Barbie! Ignore the old guy behind the curtain.

[kmbifflefan]

This has gotten past rediculous!

If any kind of attack against Palin's words or ideas is viewed as sexist, isn't that being sexist?

Every other candidate is subject to extreme scrutiny, everything Obama says is attacked, but we are supposed to accept that the same rules don't apply to her? That is the worst form of sexism!

[StillAmused]

You'll never hear it from the Obama campaign (and rightfully so), but there's nothing to stop the rest of us (or the blogosphere at large) from referring to Gidget as we choose.

Ms. Palin, I hereby dub thee "Serial Sarah".

Feel free, everyone.

[Organic-Guy]

She like most Republicans are liars. they think that saying something over and over again makes it true. It's just more of the same crap we've gotten over the last eight years. don't expect this to change. the republicans are moving towards making the United states of America a dictatorship with a phony plebesite every few years with rigged polls and voting they can splash around the world on TV under the pretense of free and fair elections.
We're in huge trouble people. Pay attention people and speak out now, loud and clear. We may only get one chance to turn this around this fall.

[jgalvan]

Lou Dobbs calls Palin a thief and that she should go to prison.

[DJ23]

Alaska Knows the Real Story of the Bridge to Nowhere

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3DZZNZFxeI

Bridge of Lies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfLDjmKfigw

[GIBill]

Amazing how the McCain campaign thinks that a pre-fab, GOP version of Obamamania, complete with ghost-written canned speeches and a science-fiction based bio, will be enough to make woman and working families vote against their interests.
It is illustrative of the extent to which the McCaign operation misunderstands the Obama phenomenon, as they seek to imitate the very excitement that they ridicule on a regular basis.
When Obama claims that the Republicans "must think you're stupid", he's not kidding.
He should add that the GOP must think the MSM has been intimidated into letting this go on unchallenged . He would be right about that, too.

[jasonsabio]

Give her a break people... they haven't written a her a new speech yet so she's not sure what else to say.

[Cooper1608]

If she repeats it 1000 times, nothing will be reported about it on the MSM. They love the pit-bull.

[realpolitic]

Saying she worked to defeat the bridge to nowhere is an outright lie. If Biden told such a lie, the press would be all over him. He would be labelled a fibber. It shows how the farther one is to the right the more delicate press treatment one gets.

Do we want a vice-president who does not believe that global warming is caused by man, who wants to teach creationism in schools, and who thinks the Iraq war was God's will? America is a better country than this. Enough with the right wing kooks. They can believe what they like on the margins of society, but let's not bring these crazy ideas into our everyday dialogue and policy making apparatus.

[BeachSaint]

If you'd like to see the spot for the proposed "Bridge to Nowhere," here's a link to a video about the boondoggle that was posted on YouTube over two years ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6q__0-krUo

[tel8034]

LIES, LIES AND STILL MORE LIES ........................... 3 reasons NOT to vote for the McCain/Palin ticket.

Like Bill Maher said "I'M NOT AGAINST SARAH PALIN BECAUSE SHE IS FROM A SMALL TOWN, I'M AGAINST HER BECAUSE SHE HAS A SMALL MIND."