Candy Crowley, the CNN moderator in charge of tonight’s debate, covered for President Obama by endorsing his false narrative of the killings in Libya.
She stepped out of the role of moderator to play an alleged “fact-checker.” She corrected Mitt Romney’s statement that Obama had referred to the Libyan attacks as a reaction to an anti-Muslim video, rather than a terrorist attack. Obama allowed his administration to claim that for days afterwards. He did refer obliquely to “acts of terror” but also allowed the myth of the anti-video demonstrations to be perpetuated.
Crowley’s intervention will leave an incomplete and false impression with many debate viewers. The time for “fact-checking” is after a debate, not during it. Previous debate moderators knew better.