Rachel Maddow Corrects Pat Buchanan's Errors and Lies

Buchanan error/lie: "She's never written anything that I've read in terms of a law review article or major book or something like that on the law."
Fact: Sotomayor wrote at least 5 law review articles, from 1979 to 2004.

Buchanan error/lie: "How did she get on Yale Law Review? Affirmative action."
Fact: The students themselves choose who's on the Yale Law Review. Yale Law School says "that is a statement of opinion by Mr. Buchanan."

Buchanan error/lie: "White men were 100% of the people who wrote the constitution, 100% of the people who signed the Declaration of Independence, 100% of the people who died at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, probably close to 100% of the people who died at Normandy. This has been a country built, basically, by white people."
Fact: The White House was built by black slaves. As was the U.S. Capitol. As was the city of Washington, DC, at least in part. "It's not even possible to imagine how America could have competed for a place in the global economy in the 1800's, say, without plantation cotton and tobacco and sugar and rice and the other industries which were so thoroughly dependent on slave labor." The railroads were built by Chinese laborers. Etc., etc.

"As for who has died for this country in combat, more than 200,000 black Americans fought for the Union in the Civil War, thousands even fought for the Confederacy, 1.2 million African Americans served in World War II and yes, they were among those who stormed the beaches of Normandy. The Defense Department says almost 10,000 Mexican Americans fought for the Union during the Civil War. Hundreds of thousands of Hispanics served in the armed forces during World War II. 12 Hispanics were awarded the Medal of Honor, 24 Asian Americans received the Medal of Honor for heroism in World War II."

Buchanan error/lie: He said over and over that he was against affirmative action.
Fact: Actually, Buchanan wrote a memo in 1971 where he suggested an affirmative action program...for "ethnic Catholics." Buchanan also advocated giving a Supreme Court seat to an Italian American.

Yes, another segment in the endless series, "conservative fantasies vs. the fact-based universe." Next installment: Bob McDonnell claims that Bush economics were the greatest thing since...what would he say, Sean Hannity? Wonder Bread?