More McCain Palin Lies Exposed!

The Presidential Election season has claimed a lot of casualties (one being my ability to hear the word veepstakes without cringing). But perhaps the most tragic loss has been the death of truth in advertising. Barack Obama and the Democrats have been angered at the distortions and outright lies being spewed out by the Republican attack machine. And they are probably right to complain. But thus far, they have failed to focus on the biggest lie of all - A lie that is easily proven - a lie that is proudly included in John McCain's own TV spots - a lie that threatens the core principles of our democracy.

No, I'm not talking about that Paris and Britney ad, because that wasn't a lie, it was just stupid. I'm talking about McCain's claim at the end of his commercial that he and Sarah Palin are "the original Mavericks." Um, hello? Does the name James Garner ring a bell? From 1957 to 1960, James Garner played the role of Brett Maverick in a show called ... Maverick. It would seem obvious that a guy who played a character named Maverick in a show named Maverick way back in 1957 would be the original maverick.

But Bofa D's is a thorough news outlet. We don't run stories without checking them out (or at least thinking about checking them out). First, let's dispose of the easy one: Sarah Palin. Given the fact that she wasn't even born until 1964, unless she has invented time travel, she clearly is not even in the running to be the 'orginial maverick.'

But what about John McCain? We know John McCain is 72 years old. Perhaps he was already working in government, which could qualify him to claim that he is the original maverick. The intrepid Bofa D's research team did some digging to see what McCain was up to in 1957. So, what was Mr. McCain doing in 1957? In stark contrast to James Garner, who was being the original maverick, according to biography.com, John McCain was a year away from graduating "(fifth from the bottom of his class) from the Naval Academy at Annapolis." That doesn't sound mavericklike at all.

So John McCain and Sarah Palin don't have a legitimate claim to being the original mavericks. But mabe they just didn't know about the earlier maverick. Politicians make factual mistakes all the time, and McCain is pretty old. But this is not an example of him forgetting something because of his old age (like how many houses he owns), or just never knowing about the earlier maverick. No, this is a purposeful attempt to manipulate the facts for his own gain.

Let's examine the evidence: First of all, given the fact that he graduated 5th from the bottom of his class, he can't really say he was too busy studying to watch TV. And there were only 3 channels back in the day, so it's not like he was watching something else. Second, Maverick ran for 58 episodes, which is approximately 57 episodes longer than any new show on NBC will last this year. The show won a primetime Emmy for crying out loud! And to top it off, Garner was the maverick again in 1978 in "the New Maverick." To throw salt in the wounds, there was even a Maverick movie (starring someone else).

John McCain and Sarah Palin can no longer hide behind the truth: Everyone knows about this show, even John McCain. The facts clearly show that James Garner is the original maverick, John McCain and Sarah Palin's claims notwithstanding. What now? We have caught McCain-Palin in a boldfaced lie, a lie that has somehow stayed out of the major media outlets. Thus far, James Garner, the true 'original maverick' has yet to comment on this controversy, but it is only a matter of time before McCain has to answer for his lies.