Mary Matalin: Bush 'Inherited' 9/11 Attacks (VIDEO)

On CNN Sunday, GOP strategist Mary Matalin repeated a strange new Republican talking point -- the idea that the September 11th attacks didn't happen on President Bush's watch.

Arguing that President Obama was complaining too much about the problems he inherited from his predecessor, Matalin (who worked for former Vice President Dick Cheney) said her White House was saddled with problems too. "We inherited a recession from President Clinton and we inherited the most tragic attack on our own soil in our nation's history," she told host John King on "State of the Union."

Last month, former White House Press Secretary Dana Perino proclaimed that there were no terror attacks under President Bush.

As for Matalin's economic claim, Bush did say that he inherited a recession -- but he got his dates wrong about when that recession began. The National Bureau of Economic Research's Business Cycle Dating Committee says it started in March of 2001, during Bush's first term.

Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!

Comments

[take10]

10:06 AM on 01/04/2010

She used to smile while telling those obvious lies. Since the lift and several p0unds of b0t0x, it appears she is lying with a straight face! That must be awfully painful or at least, tight lipped!

[Jaxy]

08:37 AM on 01/01/2010

" ... When it comes to having extremely casual relationships with the notions of truth, logic and reality, they are simply without peer", that is.

[Jaxy]

08:34 AM on 01/01/2010

There can be no doubt that Republicans are liars, dissemblers and prevaricators of the first freaking Order. None.

When it comes to extremely casual relationships with the notions of truth, logic and reality, they are simply without peer.

[PetrBuben]

03:48 PM on 01/03/2010

agree.
we need runoff presidential elections, to possibly elect a third party.
and lets pull money from big failed banks - Bank of America, Chase.
Lets use local honest banks and unions.
http://friendfeed.com/petrbuben

ps
Bush inherited budget surplus from Clinton.

[RobertHenryEller]

09:54 PM on 12/31/2009

Mary Matalin needs to be silenced - by any means necessary.

[bobwalters]

04:16 PM on 01/03/2010

On the contrary, I am reminded of a quote attributed to Senator Daniel Webster, made in response to a motion to cut off debate/grandstanding by another Senator: "No, no, no! Let a fool speak his mind fully and freely, so that all may know him for what he is!" All these blowhards eventually -- perhaps especially Cheney, DeMint, Matalin and their ilk -- will come to be seen for what they are. Their credibility is somewhere near minus-10 anyway, EXCEPT among those of the sort of whom Robert Ingersoll once remarked in a somewhat different context: "...strike him on his forehead and you'll hear an echo. Something there is for rent!"

[DonL]

12:59 PM on 01/04/2010

And no one called her on that?????

bobwalters-I wish I could share your optimism that people will see her for what she is.

[lori572]

02:00 PM on 12/31/2009

Mary, lets not ignore what OBL actually claimed were the reasons for his attacks; the oil deal with the USA made by the Bush family and friends. Its about oil, stupid! Who made these ties and what company supports oil drilling.

Why do repubs forget that cheney was CEO of halliburton right before his vice presidency and he was aiding the enemy by doing business with Iran and Libya to drill oil which paid for terrorism. lying about an off shore company in which he pled guilty and paid half a billion in fines!

[ibsteve2u]

05:43 AM on 12/31/2009

She's performing a public service, actually. Think of her words as a vaccination meant to help those of us who know better to avoid becoming violently ill when we hear the much larger lies the neocons are even now preparing to shove down America's throat in the weeks and months ahead.

[ChelseaC]

02:07 AM on 12/31/2009

I never liked Mary or her husband.

[expat50]

12:29 PM on 12/30/2009

It is time for the MSM to return to the time when they were felt compelled to call liars liars, thieves thieves and fools fools. Now we have a guy that tried to blow up a plane in front of 100 witnesses being called and alleged terrorist.

[WhitneyKyle]

10:37 AM on 12/30/2009

Mary has made a career of telling big lies, this is nothing new.

[jonmonbuckeye]

10:11 AM on 12/30/2009

My question is why John King didn't call her out on that comment. That is part of the problem- the media not doing their job when someone tells an out and out lie. I don't care what party it is- CALL THEM OUT!!!

[take10]

11:49 AM on 01/04/2010

Arem you kidding? John King hates Obama! Can't you tell from all of the anti Obama productions he has hosted?

[take10]

11:50 AM on 01/04/2010

correction: "Are you kidding?"

[mrmikes]

08:30 AM on 12/30/2009

This is not a stupid person. She is a liar.

[OGoodGrief]

07:56 AM on 12/30/2009

How does James Carville stay married to this woman? Geesh. It sounds like she has early onset Alzheimer's.

[EmilyRose2010]

08:09 AM on 12/30/2009

if she gets anymore face lifts or whatever, she is not going to be able to speak.

[RobertHenryEller]

09:56 PM on 12/31/2009

Do you think Carville is any better than his wife? There is indeed a very good reason why they are married to each other. Think a little harder. You'll come up with the right answer.

[Bartolo27]

12:25 AM on 12/30/2009

Ideology the new "Reality" substitute

[Beka13]

10:14 PM on 12/29/2009

My gawd do they realize how bad this is for America...even if our leadership tricked americans into believing this nonsense the rest of the world knows the truth and will loose ll respect for us like they did Germany.

[lafayette2009]

10:06 PM on 12/29/2009

Historical Revisionism by the Republicans has become:

Hysterical Revelations:

That is it reveals just how blind they are and how stupid they think the American people are and how disdainful they are about said people.

The hysterical part is that the only ones they are fooling, are themselves.