BEN CARSON: Here’s proof these media investigations are bogus

Maybe that explains why people have been fooled by their first impressions of God-loving, Medicare-hating, soft-spoken Carson, trying to sell himself as the anti-Trump.

I find this story fascinating. The papers may not have been burned, but the class certainly was.

Mr. Carson’s backing of the 12-nation Pacific trade deal places him at odds with Donald Trump, his chief rival for support among anti-establishment Republicans.

For now, it seems, he’ll just have to answer whether he was Yale’s most honest student.

The relevant excerpt from Carson’s autobiography, Gifted Hands, can be read by clicking here.

And late Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that it couldn’t confirm Carson’s account of protecting white students during a race riot back when he was a high school junior or a story involving a psychology exam while at Yale.

Jansing later asked if Carson was having “fun” running for president and Carson said, “Would I have preferred doing something else?” A half-competent editor would also have found this glaring and article-disqualifying error had he not shared the same excitement over becoming a hero at liberal cocktail parties everywhere. Journalists ask questions. That’s the process.

The WSJ report notes that in his 1996 book Think Big: Unleashing Your Potential for Excellence, Carson identified the potential stabbing victim as “Bob”. And couldn’t he come up with a more creative name than “Bob?”

Reginald Davis, a neurosurgeon who trained with Carson and became one of his closest friends, could not recall Carson discussing politics over dinners their families shared or during the many games of pool the two played at Carson’s home.

Yeah I have a reaction, probably not the reaction you expect. The essence of the piece was that Politico conflated Carson’s story in his book, “Gifted Hands”, about being offered a scholarship to West Point by Gen. William Westmoreland with Carson claiming he applied or received an appointment to the academy. He asserts that he didn’t have an involvement with the controversial supplement company, Mannatech Inc., yet he made speeches for them and has appeared in videos on their website. However, in the absence of one, “There are so many important things that need to be talked about”.

Sanders’ continued insistence that the presidential campaigns, debates and media coverage be focused on the issues affecting Americans is interesting given past criticism that his remark during last month’s Democratic presidential debate that “the American people are sick and tired” of hearing about Hillary Clinton’s private email account served to shield the frontrunner from growing criticism, buoying her campaign while blunting Sanders’ own momentum. His monotone voice and slow pace of delivery could cure insomnia. (Warning: Don’t listen to him while driving.) Trump says Carson has “super low energy”. I find that to be an understatement – and Trump isn’t known for his understatements. “But this attack against the media, it’s a time-honored tradition on both sides and, hey, Ben Carson has raised a lot of money and I’m sure in the short term it’s going to help his campaign”. I agree – his tall tales are indeed fascinating.

By way of disclaimer, I like Ben Carson, but I think he is unprepared for the office of president of the United States. He added that he included the anecdote in his book because he had “tremendous admiration, obviously, for West Point, which is why I, you know, included that story”.

I hope your weekend also brought a welcome respite from the disheartening mess that is our current American political discourse.