Annenberg Again

This is really splitting hairs.

Annenberg's latest. This is verbatim from Annenberg's email alert service:

Kerry released a TV ad June 3 in which he tells a small gathering that 43 million don't have health care. That's not true -- he means they don't have health insurance. He also says health care "ought to be a right that we make accessible and affordable to every single American." But even his own proposals fall short of making health care a "right," and would leave an estimated 16 million uninsured.

Despite the exaggeration, Kerry's ad gives a generally correct impression of a growing problem, and highlights a major point of difference between the candidates on what to do about it.

Hey, I'm not the brightest point of light, but I asked my 12 year old nephew what 'health care' meant, and he answered without hesitation: health care insurance.

Out of the mouths of babes.

More Annenberg:

The ad is named "Country," and it opens with Kerry standing in front of three American flags, telling a small group "I love this country." You can't get much more positive than that.

Of course, he hastens to add: "and I think it's going in the wrong direction."

Of course? Isn't that editorializing more than just a bit? Three American flags..underlined? This is really starting to trouble me.

Annenberg's follies can be found here.

The rest of the Fact Check's analysis is much more balanced and essentially sticks to the facts. It rightly points out errors in Kerry's new ad. Under Kerry's actual health care proposal, as noted above, some 16 million Americans will still be without health care insurance. That's 95% of the population.

Kerry's message is, that as of today, 43 million Americans are without health care insurance. This is not in dispute.

I'll be watching for additional cases of editorial statements from Fact Check. It is our duty to see that Fact Check does just exactly that. Check facts.