If propaganda machines like Jack Kelly are going to continue to have a platform for their partisan animus, they should at least use legitimate sources to support their claims. If they can't, then their columns belong in the comics.
On March 17, Mr. Kelly claimed that President Barack Obama was splurging while "the peasants" suffered. He accused Mr. Obama of spending $1.4 billion on a "royal presidency." But Mr. Kelly offered no context other than that which fit his narrow agenda. He cited a book by a source that he referred to as "author" Robert Keith Gray. In fact, Mr. Gray has been a Republican operative for decades, working for both Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. Citing him as a source for this column was like citing the pot in a case against the kettle. Mr. Gray shares the same agenda as Mr. Kelly, Michele Bachmann and other fact-starved conservatives: To smear the president at any cost.
The Washington Post studied these same claims of Obama "excess" recently and found that Obama's White House spends about $200 million per year less overall than that of his predecessor. The Post looked at these claims of "excess" and assigned them "Four Pinocchios." That means they are not just lies, but "whoppers."