You forgot this part, in real life who the hell knows what they did on a specific day in 1969? "Memoirs" are not diaries, they are memories and impressions of long ago events...in this case nearly a half century ago. They are not usually "time stamped" and "attendance listed" to the satisfaction of some knave, nearly 50 years hence, who wants to go nuts over the general impressions and recollections of a brief meeting.
Here are some of my life events, of less than precise recollection: shook hands with Agnew, not sure at which function or hotel. Spoke to Charles Kuralt, at some building in Miami, or Miami beach in 1972. Saw Reagan in LA, at some LA hotel on some date prior to 1976 convention. Saw WFBuckley, sometime within a several year period (off and on) at JC. Sometime in the mid 1970s I was offered a probationary status to a grad program at Chico (I didn't have a BA but had good GRE scores). I can't recall the guys name, but I think he was head of the Poly Sci department (or Public Policy). I don't recall the date or exact year.
It does not mean anyone is intentionally lying - folks conflate events and mix up sequences all the time. Their general impressions may be correct, but their specifics might be off. If so, who the heck cares how this nothing-burger went down, other than to smear obsessed "gotcha" journalists?
He doesn't need a memory. He had a staff which kept these records. He wasn't at the event and Carson made a big deal about the fact that this specific person was at this specific event.
You must mean something different from what you just wrote, as no one with an IQ greater than their belt size thinks that in 1969 the Carson ROTC kid retained a staff to "keep these records" for his future biography. In 1992, when he wrote his memoirs, I doubt he had a biography writing staff either. His current political staff has no memory, they can only pass along his written recollections, updates, and research fact-check (when possible) Politico's own fabrications.
And his "making of a big deal" amounts to three or four sentences in his 1992 self-reflective memoir (written decades before he was a politician), and a couple of instances of an even briefer retelling. Unless his written biographies have only been two paragraphs, that is not "making a big deal" in a book - it's a nothing incidental about a youth's road not taken.
So far, Politicos anemic hit piece has already lost its credibility with its retracted headline, followed by its laughable assertion that he "concedes" that he didn't apply and didn't get accepted to WP WHEN
he never said that he applied or was accepted. That alone should end this idiotic trope.
However, you are hair pulling over the when and where of his 'dinner meeting', so let's look at that. In his bio, Carson wrote:
"At the end of my twelfth grade I marched at the head of the Memorial Day parade."
"We had important visitors that day. Two soldiers who had won the Congressional Medal of Honor in Viet Nam were present."
"... General William Westmoreland (very prominent in the Vietnam war) attended with an impressive entourage."
"Afterward, Sgt. Hunt introduced me to General Westmoreland, and I had dinner with him and the Congressional Medal winners."
"
Later I was offered a full scholarship to West Point."
"I didn’t refuse the scholarship outright, but I let them know that a military career wasn’t where I saw myself going."
After you get sucked into the mud of that Politico article, and sort out its unsupported paraphrases and unsubtle editorializing, you will find nothing there. It does not dispute that he marched at the head of the parade, or that they had important visitors, or that Medal of Honor winners were present. Nor does it dispute that Sgt. Hunt introduced him to Westmoreland, or that he had dinner with him and CM winners. Nor does it even dispute that LATER, after this event he may have been informally offered entry and free college by West Pointers. And finally it does not dispute that he let them know it was not the military that he saw himself going.
Lamely, the article informs that (although uncertain) it is more likely that he was introduced to Westmoreland at another dinner event, to which he was probably invited, where Medal of Honor winners were also present.
Such a "SHOCKING" story. Carson's prior recollection of 1969 may have merged his two dinner events into a single dinner. GASP...what a scoundrel. Oh and "later" he may have been told that 'they' could get him into West Point, which would cover all expenses which, technically, is only EQUAL to a scholarship.
It's like if someone was saying that they were dodging sniper fire on a particular day and it turns out that there weren't any snipers in the area on that day. It's just a straight-up lie.
Nope. It's more like if Hillary said she was dodging sniper fire 50 years ago during a particular day and it turns out that she was dodging fire by enemy regulars on another day.
What a nothing story.
Offer and Acceptance and how service academies and the military operate and how they don't. Or he has no business running for the position of Commander in Chief.
