Richardson Criticizes Bush

In a speech at the Des Moines Botanical Center, Bill Richardson says President Bush "let down both the American and the Pakistani people." (By J. David Ake -- Associated Press)

INCOMPLETE PICTURE?

Obama's Health-Care Ad

Barack Obama is touting his health-care plan in an Iowa ad unveiled yesterday, six days before the state's caucuses. But the commercial misrepresents some newspaper assessments of the Illinois Democrat's proposal.

The ad says the Obama plan "guarantees coverage for all Americans." But the on-screen citation, from the St. Paul Pioneer Press, is truncated in a misleading way in comparing the proposal with those offered by Hillary Clinton and John Edwards. The full quote reads: "Edwards and Clinton would require all Americans to have health insurance. Obama's plan guarantees coverage for all Americans but does not require all to have it."

"Experts say Obama's plan is 'the best,'" the narrator says, with an on-screen citation of the Iowa City Press-Citizen. But the newspaper's endorsement cites no experts and is not even comparing the proposal with the Clinton and Edwards prescriptions; the Press-Citizen says it is the best alternative, compared with a single-payer health system.

The commercial also cites The Washington Post in saying that the Obama approach would be "saving $2,500 for the typical family." The Post article said that "the senator's aides estimated" such a savings but did not attempt to verify it.

While correctly citing the Daily Iowan, a college newspaper, in asserting that the Obama plan would put "pressure on insurance and pharmaceutical companies," the ad also says the plan "cuts costs more than any other." Obama's staff says that its estimate of cost savings exceeds those put forth by Clinton and Edwards, but that has not been independently corroborated.

The ad begins by declaring that "outside groups are spending millions to stop change, including false attacks on Barack Obama's health plan." The ad shows a mock-up of a Tuesday article in The Post that reports on the influx of interest-group funds but says nothing about stopping "change" or "false attacks" on Obama.

Clinton's campaign convened a conference call with ex-Iowa governor Tom Vilsack, who criticized the ad on the grounds that Obama's plan, unlike Clinton's plan, does not include a mandate requiring individuals to obtain insurance. Obama has questioned whether such mandates can be enforced.

-- Howard Kurtz