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September 9, 2008

Factcheck checks facts on Palin smears

Topics: Political News and commentaries

Factcheck.org says they've been flooded for the past few days with queries about dubious Internet postings and mass e-mail messages making claims about Sarah Palin, and have found many to be completely false, or misleading. For example:

* Palin did not cut funding for special needs education in Alaska by 62 percent. She didn't cut it at all. In fact, she tripled per-pupil funding over just three years.

* She did not demand that books be banned from the Wasilla library. Some of the books on a widely circulated list were not even in print at the time. The librarian has said Palin asked a "What if?" question, but the librarian continued in her job through most of Palin's first term.

* She was never a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, a group that wants Alaskans to vote on whether they wish to secede from the United States. She's been registered as a Republican since May 1982.

* Palin never endorsed or supported Pat Buchanan for president. She once wore a Buchanan button as a "courtesy" when he visited Wasilla, but shortly afterward she was appointed to co-chair of the campaign of Steve Forbes in the state.

* Palin has not pushed for teaching creationism in Alaska's schools. She has said that students should be allowed to "debate both sides" of the evolution question, but she also said creationism "doesn't have to be part of the curriculum."

Interestingly, Factcheck says they'll be looking into other charges in an e-mail by a woman named Anne Kilkenny (a self-described political activist and a Democrat) for a future story. For more explanation of the bullet points above, check out their analysis.

Posted by Abdul at September 9, 2008 4:19 PM

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