John McCain may be trying to sell himself as a "maverick" and a "straight talker" who will tell the truth no matter the consequences, but independent, non-partisan watchdog groups aren't buying it. But, since he wrapped up his party's nomination, John McCain has offered more of the same false attacks and smears. To date, independent, nonpartisan fact checkers have published more than 50 fact checks debunking John McCain's lies and distortions.

To hold John McCain accountable to his own standard, the Democratic National Committee will count and chronicle the lies here on the McCainPedia's "Count the Lies" page.

132 Fact Checks
Washington Post: Four Pinocchios for Palin's "Cleared of Any Legal Wrongdoing" Claim. "Sarah Palin has insisted that a formal investigation into the 'Troopergate' controversy in Alaska has exonerated her of 'unlawful or unethical' activity. The Republican vice-presidential pick has told critics to read the report by an investigator appointed by the State Legislative Council to determine whether she had abused her power as Alaska governor to push for the firing of a state trooper formerly married to her sister. But the report's finding that Palin breached the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act is very clear ... But it is the reverse of the truth to claim that she was cleared of 'any hint of any kind of unethical activity.'" [Washington Post Fact Checker Blog, 10/13/08: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/10/four_pinocchios_for_palin.html]

Politifact.com: Latest McCain Web Ad Is False, Malicious and "Pants on Fire Wrong." "This attack is false, but it's more than that – it's malicious. It unfairly tars not just Obama, but all the other prominent, well-respected Chicagoans who also volunteered their time to the foundation. They came from all walks of life and all political backgrounds, and there's ample evidence their mission was nothing more than improving ailing public schools in Chicago. Yet in the heat of a political campaign they have been accused of financing radicalism. That's Pants on Fire wrong." [Politifact.com, 10/11/08: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/790/]

Washington Post: Two Pinocchios For McCain Campaign's "Guilt by Association" Video. "A McCain campaign video released today hits the 'guilt by association' theme that has become a prominent part of GOP attacks on Barack Obama during the final weeks of an increasingly vituperative presidential election campaign. It baldly accuses the Illinois senator of 'lying' about his connection with Ayers, a former Weather Underground leader turned education professor. True or false? ... The McCain campaign is distorting the Obama-Ayers relationship, and exaggerating their closeness. There is no evidence that Obama has 'lied' about his dealings with Ayers." [Washington Post Fact Checker blog, 10/11/08: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/10/did_obama_lie_about_ayers.html]

CNN Fact Check: Barack Obama Would Not Fine Businesses over Health Care. "At a campaign event Thursday, October 9, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain criticized Democratic opponent Sen. Barack Obama's health-care plan. 'Under his plan, he will fine employers who don't offer health insurance to put their employees in government health care. He'll fine them,' McCain said. 'You know what that does? That costs jobs. That costs jobs for small business people in America.' McCain's suggestion that Obama's plan would impact small businesses is wrong. 'Small businesses will be exempt from this requirement,' Obama's Web site says. The Verdict: False. McCain calling the plan's payment a fine is at odds with his own Web site, which calls it a tax. Obama's campaign says small businesses would be exempt from the plan." [CNN, 10/10/08: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/10/fact-check-would-obama-fine-business-that-dont-offer-health-care/]

CNN: McCain's Subprime Lending Attack is "Misleading," Takes Obama's Words Out of Context. "In a campaign speech Wednesday, October 8, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain questioned Democratic opponent Sen. Barack Obama's foresight on the role of the troubled subprime lending sector in the recent financial crisis. 'As recently as September of last year, he said that subprime loans had been — quote — a good idea,' McCain said. McCain is citing a statement Obama made during a September 17, 2007, speech in New York. While the words he quotes are technically accurate, McCain is taking them out of context from a statement that actually was criticizing abuses in the subprime sector ... The Verdict: Misleading. Obama did say subprime lending 'started off as a good idea,' but he was criticizing abuses in the sector. Based on his statements, he did not think they were a good idea last September, as McCain suggests." [CNN.com, 10/8/08: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/08/fact-check-did-obama-say-subprime-loans-a-good-idea/]