Wolf Blitzer bites Obama economic adviser with on-air fact check

Austin Goolsbee, a University of Chicago professor who is Barack Obama campaign's senior economic adviser, has again has embarrassed the Cult of Change. Back in February--although Goolsbee denies it, Goolsbee visited the Canadian Consulate in Chicago and told the Consul General that and our friends north of the 49th parallel have nothing to worry about; Obama's promise to Ohio voters that he'll renegotiate NAFTA was nothing but vote pandering. Goolsbee denies that story. Hillary Clinton won the Ohio Primary.

Here's what transpired on CNN this morning:

On CNN's "Late Edition," Obama Senior Economic Adviser Austan Goolsbee Was Fact Checked Live On What Joe Biden Actually Said:

CNN's Wolf Blitzer: "He [Joe Biden] was on the Today Show. He opposed the bailout of AIG and then the Obama campaign the next day said there was no choice. Did Joe Biden make the same mistake that John McCain made?"

Austan Goolsbee: "Well, I would -- we don't have the transcript here, but I have read it and I would disagree a little bit. It was clear from the entire paragraph that Joe Biden was not saying he was opposing a bailout. What he was saying was that it's not their first choice along the lines of where John McCain ended up and where Senator Obama was all along."

Blitzer: "It was a pretty clear. I watched it that morning. It was pretty clear. He opposed the bailout, too, although, as you say, the position of the Obama campaign seemed to change based -- assuming that Joe Biden speaks for the Obama campaign -- it changed the next day, as well."

Let's go back a few days:

What Biden Said: "No, I Don't Think They Should Be Bailed Out By The Federal Government."

NBC'S MEREDITH VIEIRA: "But now we have this mess, Senator. Do you think that AIG should be bailed out by the federal government?"

BIDEN: "No, I don't think they should be bailed out by the federal government. I'll tell you what we should do. We should try to correct the problems that caused this. And what's caused this is the profligate tax cuts to the very, very wealthy that John wants to continue." (NBC's "Today," 9/16/08)

Related posts:

Obama caught fibbing on NAFTA

Obama NAFTA flap gets worse

Report from this afternoon's McCain campaign teleconference

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