Steven Benen -- who is doing some of his best work for MaddowBlog -- debunks Romney's cavalcade of lies in his CPAC speech yesterday:
1. Romney claimed, "We are the only people on the earth that put our hand over our heart during the playing of the national anthem. It was FDR who asked us to do that, in honor of the blood that was being shed by our sons and daughters in far-off places."
This is both untrue and rather strange.
2. Romney argued in a speech, "You know, like his colleagues in the faculty lounge, who think they know better, President Obama demonizes and denigrates almost every sector of our economy."
Asked to back that up, the Romney campaign pointed to President Obama's criticism of Wall Street recklessness, insurance company abuses, and oil companies. If those three represent "almost every sector of our economy," then Romney doesn't understand the private sector as well as he thinks he does.
3. Romney claimed, "Just this last week, this same administration said that in churches and the institutions they run, such as schools and let's say adoption agencies, hospitals, that they have to provide for their employees, free of charge, contraceptives, morning-after pills -- in other words abortive pills and the like at no cost."
That's not even close to being an accurate description of the policy.
4. Romney argued, "More Americans have lost their jobs during President Obama's term than during any other President in modern history."
That only makes sense if Romney holds the job losses from early 2009 -- before Obama could even begin governing in earnest -- against him. If you blame the president for job losses that occurred 11 days after his inauguration, then Romney's claim is sort of true. If you're willing to be fair, then Romney's being deliberately misleading.
5. Romney once again insisted this week, "This is a president who began his presidency by apologizing for America."
That's a lie. It never happened.