Romney Campaign Press Release - Biden's Top Five Lies And Exaggerations: Debate Night Edition

NUMBER 1: Vice President Biden Blamed The Intelligence Community For The Shifting Story About Benghazi — A Claim Disputed By His Own State Department:

Vice President Biden, On The Shifting Story About The Acts Of Terror In Benghazi: "The Intelligence Community Told Us That." "Biden said the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, was repeating what intelligence sources had told her when she blamed the video as a 'proximate cause' of the violence in an interview five days after the attack. 'The intelligence community told us that,' Biden said. 'As they learned more facts about exactly what happened, they changed their assessment.'" (Julian Pecquet, "Biden Blames Intelligence Community For Changing Story About Libya Attack," The Hill, 10/11/12)

"The State Department Says It Never Concluded That An Attack That Killed The U.S. Ambassador To Libya Was Simply A Protest Gone Awry..." "The State Department says it never concluded that an attack that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya was simply a protest gone awry, a statement that places the Obama administration's own foreign policy arm in sync with Republicans. That extraordinary message, appearing to question the administration's initial description of the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, came in a department briefing Tuesday — a day before a hearing on diplomatic security in Libya was to be held by the Republican-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee." (Larry Margasak and Bradley Klapper, "State Dept. Description Of Attack In Sync With GOP," The Associated Press, 10/10/12)

For Weeks Following The Terrorist Attacks In Libya, President Obama And His Advisers Offered "Shifting Accounts Of The Fatal Attacks." "The Obama administration's shifting accounts of the fatal attack on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, have left President Obama suddenly exposed on national security and foreign policy, a field where he had enjoyed a seemingly unassailable advantage over Mitt Romney in the presidential race." (Mark Landler, "Shifting Reports On Libya Killings May Cost Obama," The New York Times, 9/28/12)

• "After First Describing The Attack As A Spontaneous Demonstration Run Amok, Administration Officials Now Describe It As A Terrorist Act..." "After first describing the attack as a spontaneous demonstration run amok, administration officials now describe it as a terrorist act with possible involvement by Al Qaeda. The changing accounts prompted the spokesman for the nation's top intelligence official, James R. Clapper Jr., to issue a statement on Friday acknowledging that American intelligence agencies 'revised our initial assessment to reflect new information indicating that it was a deliberate and organized terrorist attack carried out by extremists.'" (Mark Landler, "Shifting Reports On Libya Killings May Cost Obama," The New York Times, 9/28/12)

USA Today: "In Fact, Every Aspect Of The Early Account — Peddled Most Prominently By U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice — Has Unraveled." "Three weeks after an attack in Libya killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans, we now know that it did not spring from a spontaneous protest, spurred by an anti-Muslim video, as the Obama administration originally described it. In fact, every aspect of the early account — peddled most prominently by U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice — has unraveled." (Editorial, "Shifting Libya Attack Story Raises Red Flags," USA Today, 10/1/12)

NUMBER 2: Vice President Biden Falsely Claimed Obamacare "Saved $716 Billion" — But President Obama Cut Medicare To Pay For Obamacare:

Vice President Biden: "Let's Talk About Medicare. What We Did Is We Saved $716 Billion And Put It Back -- Applied It To Medicare." (Vice President Joe Biden, Vice Presidential Debate, Danville, KY, 10/11/12)

According To The Nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, Obamacare Cuts $716 Billion From Medicare. (Congressional Budget Office, Letter To Speaker John Boehner, 7/24/12)

Obamacare's Cuts Will Cause Enrollment In Medicare Advantage To "Plummet By About 50 Percent" And Leave Seniors With "Higher Out-Of-Pocket Costs." "In addition to flagging provider cuts as potentially unsustainable, the report [HHS] projected that reductions in payments to private Medicare Advantage plans would trigger an exodus from the popular alternative. Enrollment would plummet by about 50 percent. Seniors leaving the private plans would still have health insurance under traditional Medicare, but many might face higher out-of-pocket costs." (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, "Report Says Health Care Will Cover More, Cost More," The Associated Press, 4/23/10)

• The Medicare Trustees Project These Cuts Will Drive 4 Million Seniors Out Of Medicare Advantage Plans By 2018. (Medicare Trustees Report, 4/23/12)

52 Percent Of Doctors Say Obamacare Will Compel Them To Close Or Significantly Restrict Their Practices To Medicare Patients. (Merritt Hawkins, "Health Reform and the Decline of Physician Private Practice," The Physicians Foundation, October 2010)

The Medicare Actuary Has Estimated 15% Of "Hospitals, Skilled Nursing Facilities, And Home Health Agencies" Will Be In The Red Before The Decade Is Over. "In the Office of the Actuary's April 22, 2010 memorandum on the estimated financial effects of the Affordable Care Act, we noted that by 2019 the update reductions would result in negative total facility margins for about 15 percent of hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and home health agencies. This estimated percentage would continue to increase, reaching roughly 25 percent in 2030 and 40 percent by 2050. In practice, providers could not sustain continuing negative margins and, absent legislative changes, would have to withdraw from providing services to Medicare beneficiaries, merge with other provider groups, or shift substantial portions of Medicare costs to their non-Medicare, non-Medicaid payers." ("Projected Expenditures Under An Illustrative Scenario With Alternative Payment Updates To Medicare Providers," Center For Medicare & Medicaid Services, 5/13/11)

NUMBER 3: Vice President Biden Continued To Make False Claims About $6,400 In Higher Medicare Costs Under The Romney Plan:

Vice President Biden: "A Plan That Knowingly Cut -- Added $6,400 A Year More To The Cost Of Medicare..." BIDEN: "When they first proposed -- when the congressman had his first voucher program, the CBO said it would cost $6,400 a year, Martha, more for every senior 55 and below when they got there. He knew that, yet he got it -- all the guys in Congress, and women in the Republican party to vote for it." (Vice President Joe Biden, Vice Presidential Debate, Danville, KY, 10/11/12)

The Washington Post's Fact Checker: "An Outdated Estimate Of An Earlier Version Of The Plan..." "But he still clung to an outdated estimate of an earlier version of the plan, claiming it will cost seniors an extra $6,000 a year. (He had previously earned Two Pinocchios for this claim.) The problem is this dollar figure—usually expressed as $6,400--is an estimate for an earlier version of Ryan's plan. He's since changed it significantly to address some of the loudest complaints. The new version of the plan includes the option for traditional Medicare, as well as a commitment that at least one health-care option would be fully covered by the government." (Glenn Kessler, "Factchecking The First Presidential Debate Of 2012," The Washington Post, 10/4/12)

• The Washington Post: "It's Only An Estimate" And Based On An "Earlier Version" For Medicare Reforms. "But there are some problems with that figure. First of all, it's only an estimate. Second of all, it's for the year 2022. But a bigger problem is that this dollar figure is an estimate for an earlier version of Ryan's plan. He's since changed it significantly to address some of the loudest complaints." (Glenn Kessler, "Factcheck: Sebelius' $6,400 Number Has Issues," The Washington Post, 9/4/12)

FactCheck.org: "The Ryan Plan, Now The Romney-Ryan Plan, Doesn't 'End Medicare,' And The Claim About Seniors Paying $6,000 More Under The Proposal Is Outdated." (Lori Robertson, "A Campaign Full Of Mediscare," FactCheck.org, 8/22/12)

The Washington Post Headline: "No, Romney-Ryan Wouldn't Increase Medicare Costs By $6,400" (Sarah Kliff, "No, Romney-Ryan Wouldn't Increase Medicare Costs By $6,400," The Washington Post's "WonkBlog," 9/4/12)

Even Vice President Biden Has Acknowledged The Figure Is Based On An Outdated Analysis And Different Medicare Plan. "Not long after Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz told seniors at Century Village of Boca Raton they could be socked with $6,300 a year in higher Medicare costs under Mitt Romney, Vice President Joe Biden acknowledged the figure is based on an analysis of an outdated plan. But Biden argued it's fair for Democrats to keep using the number, anyway." (George Bennett, "Biden OK With Democrats Citing Outdated Number To Fault Romney On Health Care," Palm Beach Post, 9/30/12)

NUMBER 4: Vice President Biden Falsely Claimed The Joint Chiefs Recommended The Afghanistan Withdrawal Plan:

Vice President Biden, On The Afghanistan Withdrawal Plan: "There Are People That Were Concerned, But Not The Joint Chiefs. That Was Their Recommendation..." RADDATZ: "Military follows orders." They -- I mean, there -- trust me, there are people--" BIDEN: "Sure --" RADDATZ: "-- who were concerned about pulling out on the fighting season." BIDEN: "But -- there are people that were concerned, but not the Joint Chiefs. That was their recommendation in the Oval Office to the president of the United States of America. I sat there. I'm sure you'll find someone who disagrees with the Pentagon. I'm positive you'll find that within the military. But that's not the case here." (Vice President Joe Biden, Vice Presidential Debate, Danville, KY, 10/11/12)

In September, President Obama Completed His Withdrawal Of The 33,000 Surge Troops From Afghanistan. "Very quietly, the surge of troops into Afghanistan that President Obama announced to such fanfare in late 2009 is now over. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said today that 33,000 troops have been withdrawn, calling the Afghan surge 'a very important milestone' in a war the Obama administration is winding down; there are sill 68,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan." (David Jackson, "Obama's Surge In Afghanistan Ends," USA Today, 9/21/12)

"When The President And A Half-Dozen White House Aides Began To Plan For The Withdrawal, The Generals Were Cut Out Entirely." "The aide told Mr. Obama that he believed military leaders had agreed to the tight schedule to begin withdrawing those troops just 18 months later only because they thought they could persuade an inexperienced president to grant more time if they demanded it. 'Well,' Mr. Obama responded that day, 'I'm not going to give them more time.' A year later, when the president and a half-dozen White House aides began to plan for the withdrawal, the generals were cut out entirely. There was no debate, and there were no leaks." (David Sanger, "Charting Obama's Journey To A Shift On Afghanistan," The New York Times, 5/19/12)

The Pace Of Withdrawal Was "A Setback" For The Former Top Afghanistan Commander And Current CIA Chief, David Petraeus, Who "Did Not Endorse The Decision." "The pace of the withdrawal is a setback for the president's top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David H. Petraeus, who has been named director of the Central Intelligence Agency. General Petraeus did not endorse the decision, said another official." (Mark Landler and Helene Cooper, "Obama Will Speed Pullout From War In Afghanistan," The New York Times, 7/22/11)

Admiral Mike Mullen Noted That President Obama's Withdrawal Plan Was "More Aggressive" And Incurred "More Risk" Than He Initially Supported. "Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House Armed Services Committee that he supports the Obama plan, although he had recommended a less aggressive drawdown schedule. ... 'The president's decisions are more aggressive and incur more risk than I was originally prepared to accept,' Mullen said." (Robert Burns and Matthew Lee, "Mullen Sees Risk In Obama's Afghanistan Withdrawal," The Associated Press, 6/23/11)

NUMBER 5: Vice President Biden Repeated His Claim That Mitt Romney Has Proposed A $5 Trillion Tax Cut — A Claim Disputed By His Own Campaign:

Vice President Biden Repeated His Claim That Mitt Romney Has A $5 Trillion Tax Plan. BIDEN: "Now, there's not enough -- the reason why the AEI study, the American Enterprise Institute study, the Tax Policy Center study, the reason they all say it's going to -- taxes will go up on the middle class, the only way you can find $5 trillion in loopholes is cut the mortgage deduction for middle-class people, cut the health care deduction for middle-class people, take away their ability to get a tax break to send their kids to college." (Vice President Joe Biden, Vice Presidential Debate, Danville, KY, 10/11/12)

Obama Deputy Campaign Manager Stephanie Cutter: "Okay, Stipulated, It Won't Be Near $5 Trillion..." BURNETT: "Right. So you're saying if you lower them by 20% you get a $5 trillion tab, right?" CUTTER: "It's a $5 trillion tab."  BURNETT: "But then when you close deductions it's not going to be anywhere near $5 trillion. That's our analysis." CUTTER: "Well, okay, stipulated, it won't be near $5 trillion, but it's also not going to be the sum of $5 trillion in the loopholes that he's going to close." (CNN, 10/4/12)

FactCheck.org: "Obama Accused Romney Of Proposing A $5 Trillion Tax Cut. Not True." "Obama accused Romney of proposing a $5 trillion tax cut. Not true. Romney proposes to offset his rate cuts and promises he won't add to the deficit." (Brooks Jackson, "Dubious Denver Debate Declarations." FactCheck.org, 10/4/12)

ABC's Jon Karl, On President Obama's $5 Trillion Claim: "Mostly Fiction." KARL: "Okay, so, the big thing there, and he came back to it several times, is Governor Romney has a $5 trillion tax cut plan. I rate that mostly fiction." (ABC's "Your Voice: 2012Presidential Debates," 10/3/12)

The Associated Press: "Obama's Claim That Romney Wants To Cut Taxes By $5 Trillion Doesn't Add Up." "Obama's claim that Romney wants to cut taxes by $5 trillion doesn't add up. Presumably, Obama was talking about the effect of Romney's tax plan over 10 years, which is common in Washington. But Obama's math doesn't take into account Romney's entire plan." (Calvin Woodward, "FACT CHECK: Presidential Debate Missteps," The Associated Press, 10/3/12)