Washington Post Fact Checking

Washington Post checker Glenn Kessler seems to have come up short in his fact checks. 

1.  Washington Post fact checker Kessler simply lied in his attempts to 'protect' President Obama from criticims about his not having visited Israel during his first term. 

John Nolte

6 Aug 2012

In today’s Post, Glenn Kessler takes on two ads critical of Obama and the attention he has paid (or hasn’t) to Israel, specifically his decision not to visit Israel as president.

Here are the key criticisms Kessler attempts to protect Obama from — the numbering and responses are mine:

1. A pro-Israel group last week began running ads knocking President Obama for failing to visit Israel. The ad is filled with the sounds of Chinese gongs and Arabian sounds, and postcard-like images showing Obama in his world travels, often arm-in-arm with Arab leaders.

ME: It is simply a fact that Obama did not visit Israel in his first term.

2. Then, on Sunday, the Romney campaign echoed this charge with its own ad also calling attention to Obama not visiting Israel as president. …

ME: Again, it is simply a fact that Obama did not visit Israel in his first term.

3. The Emergency Committee [for Israel] ad also suggests that Obama has visited Arab countries rather than Israel. …

ME: It is simply a fact that Obama did visit Arab countries while choosing to not visit Israel.

4. The ad also incorrectly says Obama has “traveled all over the Middle East.” Obama visited just Turkey and Iraq in April 2009, and Egypt and Saudi Arabia in June 2009.

ME: Kessler’s assertion that Obama visiting four Middle East countries in two years does not qualify as “travel[ling] all over the Middle East” is his opinion, not a fact.

For criticizing Obama in these four areas, Kessler awards two Pinocchios to both the Romney campaign and The Emergency Committee for Israel. In other words, Kessler calls them liars for stating FACTS.

2.