Parsing Obama

It all depends on the meaning of the word "is."

President Barack Obama claimed that he had not broken his oft-repeated campaign promise to have healthcare negotiations broadcast live on C-SPAN – because according to the president, C-SPAN did actually broadcast them.

Freshman Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, told the president that he and many Americans were disappointed that “when you stood up before the American people multiple times and said you would broadcast the healthcare debates on C-SPAN, you didn’t.”

Obama answered Chaffetz by saying, “Look, the truth of the matter is that if you look at the healthcare process, just over the course of the year, overwhelmingly the majority of it actually was on C-SPAN, because it was taking place in congressional hearings in which you guys were participating. I mean, how many committees were there that helped to shape this bill? Countless hearings took place.”

Oh. Sure. Nothing to see here. Move along. "Hearings" are the same as "negotiations," and we all know that legislation is produced in "hearings."

Nevermind.