Fumbled facts in Florida

Related rulings:

"Now, I also support the Bush tax cuts. Sen. McCain voted against them originally. He now believes they should be made permanent. I'm glad he agrees they should be made permanent."

Mitt Romney, Thursday, January 24th, 2008.

Ruling: True | Details

Hillary Clinton wants to "wave the white flag of surrender and set a date for withdrawal."

John McCain, Thursday, January 24th, 2008.

Ruling: Half-True | Details

"We have more coal reserves in the United States than they have oil reserves in Saudi Arabia."

Rudy Giuliani, Friday, January 25th, 2008.

Ruling: True | Details

"The average American is working through the month of May just to pay off the government."

Mike Huckabee, Friday, January 25th, 2008.

Ruling: Half-True | Details

Says he was the only Republican candidate at a prior debate who said lower-income workers were being hurt by the economy.

Mike Huckabee, Thursday, January 24th, 2008.

Ruling: Barely True | Details

"Bill Clinton's peace dividend . . . cut the military 25 and 30 percent."

Rudy Giuliani, Thursday, January 24th, 2008.

Ruling: Half-True | Details

"I won the majority of the Republican vote in both New Hampshire and South Carolina."

John McCain, Thursday, January 24th, 2008.

Ruling: False | Details

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The Republican debate in Boca Raton lacked the fireworks that we saw at the Democratic showdown in Myrtle Beach, S.C., three nights earlier. Indeed, the debate was probably the most light-hearted of the long campaign, with the candidates needling each other with jokes about Chuck Norris, John McCain's mom and the inheritance of the Romney boys.

But despite the civil tones, the candidates managed to fumble many facts and stretch the truth on some others.

* Rudy Giuliani repeated his allegation that Bill Clinton is to blame for shrinking the nation's military. We found his claim Half True.

* But Rudy had his facts straight about the coal reserves in the United States. We gave that a True.

* John McCain claimed he won the majority of the Republican vote in the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries, but exit polls showed him in a statistical tie. We gave that claim a False.

* McCain claimed that Hillary Clinton's position on Iraq withdrawal was the equivalent of waving "the white flag of surrender." We checked her actual comments, studied the definition of white surrender flags and rated his claim Half True.

* Mitt Romney had his facts straight when he described McCain's flip-flop on the Bush tax cuts. We rated that a True.

* Mike Huckabee recalled a scene from an October debate in which he was the lone voice for working people battered by the economy. It was a powerful scene . . . except it didn't happen. We gave him a Barely True.

* Huckabee also stretched the truth with his claim about "tax freedom day." We rated it Half True.