At least, that's what he seems to think.

Gregory said:

What the president would like to do is extend the Bush tax cuts for those making less than $200,000, or $250,000, as a family, and then taxes would go up on people above that. Back in 2010, when this issue first came up, this is what President Obama said back then.

And then Gregory played this clip from Obama:

I am just listening to the consensus among people who know the economy best. And what they will say is that if you either increase taxes or significantly lowered spending when the economy remains somewhat fragile, that that would have a destimulative effect and potentially you'd see a lot of folks losing business, more folks potentially losing jobs.

Gregory sure thinks he nailed it, telling guest Senator Dick Durbin:

If it was a bad idea to raise taxes in a down economy then, why is it a good idea to raise taxes in a down economy now?

When Durbin says this is about a tax increase on the top 2 percent, Gregory interrupts: "But, senator, he wasn't willing to do that two years ago."

Slam dunk, right?

Nope. The Obama plan now–to raise taxes on income about $250,000– is exactly the same as it was when Obama was speaking. They reiterated this position throughout the tax debate in 2010. [...] Read more»

The latest example comes from Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen (7/17/12):

In a sense, Romney deserves the Swift Boating he's now getting from the Obama campaign and the president himself.

In case you missed the 2004 campaign: The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth was formed to cast doubt on John Kerry's Vietnam War record. TV commercials were cooked up to expose Kerry as a fraud who didn't deserve his medals. The press too often passed along these baseless smears instead of challenging them.

Nothing about the Swift Boat attacks on Kerry resembles the Obama attacks on Romney's Bain record. The analogy would only make sense if Obama and his campaign surrogates were making wild claims about how Romney didn't actually run Bain at all.

Oh, wait–that's actually closer to what Romney is saying. Romney is Swift Boating himself. [...] Read more»

But one outlet has found a voice willing to deliver a judgment. CNN has published a column (7/16/12) by veteran pundit David Gergen headlined:

Facts don't support Obama's charges against Romney

This is, for Gergen, pretty strong stuff; he's a talking head whose head mostly talks about campaign strategy and the like. He's not one usually to call balls and strikes on political claims.

But you don't have to read too far into Gergen's piece to realize that you can stop reading it:

Let me acknowledge upfront what I have said several times on CNN: I have a past relationship with the top partners at Bain that is both personal and financial. I have worked with them in support of nonprofit organizations such as City Year. I have given a couple of paid speeches for Bain dinners, as I have for many other groups. I was on the board of a for-profit child care company, Bright Horizons, that was purchased by Bain Capital. It was a transaction with financial benefits for all board members and shareholders, including me.

So, yes, I have a bias. But let me also add how that bias plays out: I have come to admire and like the leaders of Bain Capital because I have learned firsthand that in a private equity industry, where there are obviously some predatory companies, Bain stands out for the respect in which it is generally held and for the generous philanthropy of some of its partners. Nothing I have seen so far has shaken that view.

So CNN wanted someone who's financially benefited from his ties to Bain Capital to fact check Obama's claims about Bain Capital. Wow, I can't wait to see what he finds! [...] Read more»