Right-Wing Blowhard Roasts

[Doug]

Glenn Beck's George Washington Whopper

Beck...invoked Washington while describing the inspiring experience of visiting famous tourist destinations around the nation's capital. "I have been going to Mt. Vernon," he explained. Holding out his hands for emphasis, he declared with emotion, "I went to the National Archives, and I held the first inaugural address written in his own hand by George Washington."

It was an eyebrow-raising revelation and certainly an original image: Beck cradling the actual words of the first president. But would the persnickety gatekeepers of the nation's historical legacy at the National Archives allow some talk show bombthrower to put his mitts on a rare (and fragile) artifact? The answer, it turns out, is no way. Beck was not telling the truth.

Beck did receive a special VIP tour of the archives, arranged by an as-yet unidentified member of Congress. During that tour, he did get a peek inside the "legislative vault," which isn't open to ordinary visitors. But Archives spokeswoman Susan Cooper insists that Beck didn't lay a finger on any precious documents, much less George Washington’s inaugural address. That would be a major violation of policy. "Those kinds of treasures are only handled by specially trained archival staff," she explains.

See here.

[Dardedar]

That would be a major violation of policy.

DAR
I saw this but thought it was weak. How likely is it that "an as-yet unidentified member of Congress" (i.e. rightwing nut giving Beck a tour) would have participated in a "major violation of policy" given the opportunity? I would say very likely, given the opportunity. Beck is there, says, "can I hold it?" response, "well were not supposed to but maybe just for a moment."

I don't think this gets him in a lie.

[Betsy]

I wasn't too sure about this either, except that it does fly in the face of his whole "honesty, integrity" theme either way. Either he's lying, or he broke the rules. Still kind of weak. But I'm sure we could make a list of hundreds of outright boldfaced lies Glenn Beck has told to counter his claim that he is 100% honest.

[Doug]

I saw this but thought it was weak. How likely is it that "an as-yet unidentified member of Congress" (i.e. rightwing nut giving Beck a tour) would have participated in a "major violation of policy" given the opportunity? I would say very likely, given the opportunity.

DOUG
A document like that is not just out in the open where anyone can even ask to hold it. It would be in a vault, with perhaps a copy out for display. That's what they do with the Constitution and other important documents.

[Dardedar]

That's what they do with the Constitution and other important documents.

DAR
Well that's what I would have thought too. So that should have been the answer. But it's the weakness of this answer that made me think Beck might have gotten away with it:

"That would be a major violation of policy."

Republicans engaging in a major violation of policy? (not that Demo's wouldn't do it too)

This might be a big enough flap that we will actually find out.

D.

[Doug]

After being called on a white lie he told during his Restoring Honor rally, Glenn Beck admitted Thursday that he stretched the truth because he "thought it would be a little easier."

Beck had claimed that he held George Washington's handwritten first Inaugural Address in his hands at the National Archives, but a spokeswoman at the institution said he did no such thing. Keith Olbermann, Ed Schultz and others called him out for the fabrication.

Thursday on his radio show, Beck copped to the lie.

"I thought it would be a little easier in the speech," Beck said, than to go into the following elaborate explanation (via Mediaite):

Yesterday I went to the National Archives, and they opened up the vault, and they put on their gloves and then they put it on a tray. They wheeled it over and it's all in this hard plastic and you're sitting down at a table and you can't, because of Sandy Berger, I had a long conversation with him about this, you can't actually touch any of the documents, these are very very rare. So what they do, they have it in this plastic thing and they hold them right in front of you, you can't touch them but then you can say 'can you turn it over,' and then they turn it over for you and then you look at it.

See here.

[Dardedar]

After being called on a white lie he told during his Restoring Honor rally, Glenn Beck admitted Thursday that he stretched the truth because he "thought it would be a little easier."

DAR
Well there you go, he's busted. If you like that one, you'll really like this one. And I didn't even know about it. I knew he lied about Rumsfield, I just didn't know he admitted to it. Here is Bush admitting to lying. See this Keith Olbermann clip, it's all good roast but the bit about lying is at 3:50 min.