Which of following things was never said or done?

a. Clinton saying he tried marijuana but didn't inhale

b. Gore saying he invented the Internet

c. Dean screaming at the top of his lungs while people looked on stunned

If you answered "all of the above," you are correct.

Clinton said he experimented with marijuana but had trouble inhaling, which is totally different from what was attributed to him in the misquote.

Gore said he was one of the people who pioneered the use of the Internet for the non-educational community; he was indeed.

Dean's spirited speech to his supporters in Iowa was given while he was using a hand-held microphone with all background noise filtered out. The result was that it sounded as though he were in a frenzied one-man show. The reality was totally different.

In all three cases, the lies or distortions were repeated (and continue to be repeated) by anchorpeople, reporters, newspaper and magazine columnists, and guests on TV talk shows. Some of the most "respected" political correspondents in America have passed on these inaccuracies, and now they are part of what people consider "the truth." In each case, the subject was hurt badly.

Why does this happen? One answer is laziness and ignorance. Paying reporters and anchorpeople hundreds of thousands of dollars does not guarantee that they will do their job, and their bosses don't seem to mind at all. Also, the American people have a tendency to believe anything they hear on television, and are loathe to do research. Finally--and especially in the case of Howard Dean--the intent of corporate-owned news media (you know, the "liberal" media) is to destroy anyone who threatens the system.

It is a wonder that anyone with an ounce of integrity or progressive intent even runs for office anymore, so vicious and fast-spreading are the stupid lies that become national legends.