Mitt Romney’s 5 Biggest Lies During the First Half of the Third Presidential Debate

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Last updated on February 8th, 2013 at 12:39 am

Mitt Romney is trying to lie and bluff his way through the third presidential debate, and here are his five biggest falsehoods during the first half of the debate.

1). Romney denied calling Russia our number one enemy.

The Truth: According to PolitiFact, in a CNN interview, Romney said, “There’s no question but that in terms of geopolitics — I’m talking about votes at the United Nations and actions of a geopolitical nature — Russia is the No. 1 adversary in that regard. That doesn’t make them an enemy. It doesn’t make them a combatant. They don’t represent the No. 1 national security threat. The No. 1 national security threat, of course, to our nation is a nuclear Iran. Time continues to pass. They continue to move towards nuclearization. This is more and more disconcerting and dangerous to the world. But Russia — particularly look at a place like Syria. Russia has supported the Assad regime even as it has been attacking its own people. Russia likewise has been slow to move to the kinds of sanctions that have been called for in Iran. Russia is a geopolitical adversary, but it’s not an enemy with, you know, missiles being fired at one another or things of that nature.”

2). Romney tried to claim that he and Obama have equal status of forces positions on Iraq.

The Truth: Obama wants to leave 3,000 troops in Iraq. Romney wants nothing less than 10,000-30,000. The two candidates’ positions aren’t equal. Romney wants more troops in Iraq than Obama does.

3). Romney said Obama was silent during the Green Revolution.

The Truth: Here is the statement that Obama issues in June 2009, “The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching. We mourn each and every innocent life that is lost. We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people. The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected, and the United States stands with all who seek to exercise those rights. As I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion.”

4). Romney completely lied about his education record in Massachusetts.

The Truth: Mitt Romney touted his record of making Massachuettes number one in education, but according to the Boston Globe his real record was quite different, “And his much hyped John and Abigail Adams Scholarships cover only tuition at state colleges, not fees, which account for more than 80 percent of yearly costs at some schools. Just a quarter of the recipients actually choose to attend state colleges. “His impact was inconsequential,” said Glen Koocher, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. “People viewed his proposals as political talking points, and no one took Romney seriously. What he gets credit for is absolutely refusing to compromise on everything he wanted to do from the moment he took office, and some people think that’s commendable.”…On the campaign trail, Romney proudly emphasizes Massachusetts’ national reputation for its stellar public K-12 education system. Bay State students routinely score at the top on national and international tests. But that achievement is largely credited to the state’s 1993 landmark education reform law that poured billions of dollars into schools, set academic standards, and spawned the standardized testing that Romney fiercely guarded.

5). Romney claimed that the US Navy has as many ships as it did in 1916.

The Truth: According to CNN, the number of ships under Obama has risen slightly, “First, Romney said the Navy was at its lowest level in terms of number of ships since 1916. The fact is, he is not that far off, but any assessment of the Navy’s size — relative to its number of ships — needs to be taken in context. What Romney didn’t mention is that in 2007 under President George W. Bush, the Navy’s ship tally hit a low not seen since the 19th century, according to U.S. Navy statistics. Generally, between 2003 and 2011, the number of ships has fluctuated between a high of 297 and a low of 278. And under President Barack Obama, the number of ships has risen slightly.”

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association

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