Stand up for the facts!

Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.

More Info

I would like to contribute

$

They built the danged fence . . . or did they?

By Bill Adair
May 17, 2011

Remember John McCain’s “complete the danged fence” ad in the 2010 campaign?

He was in a primary fight with J.D. Hayworth and wanted to show he was tough on border security. So he took a stroll along the Arizona-Mexico border with a local sheriff and said the government should “complete the danged fence.”

Mission accomplished, said President Barack Obama at a speech in El Paso last week. 

“The fence is now basically complete,” Obama said. We put that to the Truth-O-Meter and found that depends on your definition of “fence.”

Our Sources

See Truth-O-Meter item.

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Bill Adair
John Kitzhaber
stated on July 18, 2014 a campaign debate:
Oregon "is the most trade-dependent state in the nation"
False
Donald Rumsfeld
stated on February 17, 2013 an op-ed in the "Washington Post":
Says wrestling was a favorite sport of Abraham Lincoln.
True
Rick Perry
stated on January 8, 2012 a Republican debate in New Hampshire.:
Says President Barack Obama "is a socialist."
Pants on Fire!
C.W. Bill Young
stated on February 20, 2010 a speech to Pinellas County Republicans.:
The Democratic health care plan is a "government takeover of our health programs."
Pants on Fire!
Barack Obama
stated on January 27, 2010 his State of the Union address:
The "pay-as-you-go law ... was a big reason why we had record surpluses in the 1990s."
Half-True
Dick Cheney
stated on December 30, 2009 a statement to Politico.:
President Obama "doesn't ... want to admit we're at war."
Pants on Fire!
Barack Obama
stated on September 20, 2009 an interview on Meet the Press:
"Mathematically, the White Sox can still get in the playoffs."
True

They built the danged fence . . . or did they?





Donald Trump
stated on May 4, 2026 a White House event:








Donald Trump
stated on April 23, 2026 remarks at the White House:







Chris Wright
stated on April 19, 2026 an interview on CNN's "State of the Union":