Statements on Military and Defense
Corsi
False
Barack Obama has "pledged to reduce the size of the military."

Jerome R. Corsi on Friday, August 1st, 2008 in his book The Obama Nation. >>Details


McCain
No Flip
On torture.

John McCain on Monday, August 18th, 2008 in >>Details


Money Watch
True
"McCain got more money from Airbus’ U.S. executives than any other politician."

Campaign Money Watch on Monday, June 9th, 2008 in a TV ad >>Details


Money Watch
Barely True
"John McCain intervened, which helped Airbus get that Pentagon contract."

Campaign Money Watch on Monday, June 9th, 2008 in a TV ad >>Details


McCain
Barely True
"He made time to go to the gym, but canceled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon wouldn’t allow him to bring cameras."

John McCain on Saturday, July 26th, 2008 in a TV ad >>Details


Republican National Committee
Barely True
Obama "voted against critical resources: no to individual body armor, no to helicopters, no to ammunition, no to aircraft."

Republican National Committee on Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008 in a radio ad >>Details


Obama
True
"For at least a year now, I have called for two additional brigades, perhaps three."

Barack Obama on Sunday, July 20th, 2008 in Afghanistan >>Details


McCain
Half-True
Obama "voted against funding our troops."

John McCain on Friday, July 18th, 2008 in a television ad >>Details


Chain e-mail
False
Barack Obama wants to "unilaterally disarm our nation."

Chain e-mail on Wednesday, May 21st, 2008 in a chain e-mail >>Details


Obama
True
Obama worked with "Sen. Dick Lugar, a Republican, to help lock down loose nuclear weapons."

Barack Obama on Tuesday, July 15th, 2008 in a television ad >>Details


McCain
True
U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan include a "few thousand that are still green card holders who are not even citizens of this country."

John McCain on Friday, July 11th, 2008 in a TV ad airing Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico >>Details


Obama
Half-True
Barack Obama "extended health care for wounded troops who’d been neglected."

Barack Obama on Thursday, June 12th, 2008 in a television ad >>Details


McCain
True
"The U.S. Navy has sailed ships around the world for 60 years with nuclear power plants on them and we’ve never had an accident."

John McCain on Monday, June 2nd, 2008 in a speech in Nashville, Tenn. >>Details


Obama
Barely True
John McCain "is one of the few senators of either party who oppose this bill (to expand education aid for veterans) because he thinks it's too generous."

Barack Obama on Monday, May 12th, 2008 in Charleston, W.V. >>Details


McCain
Mostly true
"Obama himself voted against funding our nation's veterans and troops in the field during a time of war."

John McCain on Monday, May 12th, 2008 in a statement by a spokesman >>Details


Obama
True
"NATO hasn’t provided enough troops (in Afghanistan) because they are still angry about us going into Iraq."

Barack Obama on Tuesday, May 13th, 2008 in Cape Girardeau, Miss. >>Details


Giuliani
Half-True
"Bill Clinton's peace dividend . . . cut the military 25 and 30 percent."

Rudy Giuliani on Thursday, January 24th, 2008 in a Republican debate in Boca Raton. >>Details


Clinton
Half-True
The Bush administration has "the Pentagon trying to take away the signing bonuses when a soldier gets wounded and ends up in the hospital, something that I'm working with a Republican senator to try to make sure never can happen again."

Hillary Clinton on Tuesday, January 15th, 2008 in a debate in Las Vegas >>Details


Obama
Half-True
Says he passed a bill to stop a military requirement that wounded soldiers pay for meals and phone calls.

Barack Obama on Tuesday, January 15th, 2008 in a debate in Las Vegas >>Details


Giuliani
Half-True
"Bill Clinton cut the military drastically."

Rudy Giuliani on Saturday, January 5th, 2008 in a debate in Manchester, N.H. >>Details


Romney
Half-True
President Clinton "reduced the scale of our military dramatically."

Mitt Romney on Sunday, October 21st, 2007 in a Republican debate in Orlando, Fla. >>Details


Chain e-mail
False
Clinton "refused repeated requests to meet with the Gold Star Mothers."

Chain e-mail on Wednesday, October 17th, 2007 in an e-mail message circulated by many people. >>Details


Clinton
Mostly true
"She stood by our National Guard and Reserve and kept standing till they received health care they deserved."

Hillary Clinton on Thursday, October 4th, 2007 in a TV ad airing in Iowa and New Hampshire. >>Details


Huckabee
Mostly true
"Sixty-one percent of our active military are currently listed as overweight."

Mike Huckabee on Thursday, August 30th, 2007 in a television interview. >>Details


Richardson
Mostly true
“Bill Richardson passed the first law in the nation giving National Guard soldiers $400,000 in life insurance.”

Bill Richardson on Wednesday, September 5th, 2007 in a TV ad. >>Details


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PolitiFact is a project of the St. Petersburg Times and Congressional Quarterly to help you find the truth in the presidential campaign. Every day, reporters and researchers from the Times and CQ will analyze the candidates' speeches, TV ads and interviews and determine whether the claims are accurate. >> More

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