Wasn't He Alive Then?

During Katie Couric's Presidential Questions series last night she asked Obama and McCain the best and worst things to happen to the nation. Both cited founding the nation and the constitution as the best things (as if there was another option here) but they disagreed about the worst.

Obama: Slavery. 'Nuff said.

McCain: Great Depression.

Now, McCain qualified his answer by saying that the Great Depression was the worst thing of the modern era (way to Palin that question, John) but he also claimed that at its worst the Depression cost " literally, half the population, or 40 percent" their jobs. This is not true. In fact, it's far from true. At its worst unemployment was at 24.9% during the Depression. So he was off by quite a bit.

But still, the Great Depression?

Thursday, October 9, 2008