Harold Ford: caught on video clips (who you gonna believe? me or your lyin' eyes?)

American Thinker ^ | 10/25/06 | Staff

[teddyballgame]

See for yourself. CNN Headline News reports on Harold Ford, Jr.’s campaign adviser’s claim (in response to a newspaper’s report that he never passed the bar examination) that he “never held himself out to be a lawyer”. Then, on CNN, Harold Ford states “I’m a lawyer.”

[drpix]

"Wait a minute. You're a lawyer if you graduate from law school."

That's the MSM spin for a fellow Liberal but it's not the truth.

"Adele Anderson, Administrator For The Tennessee Board Of Law Examiners, Said Friday That A Person Must Pass The Bar Exam, In Addition To Meeting Other Requirements, To Qualify As A Lawyer In Tennessee." (Michael Davis, "Handful Backs Ford's Claim Of Being Lawyer," Chattanooga Times Free Press, October 7, 2006)

"Nancy Slonim, Director Of Policy Communication For The American Bar Association, Said Lawyer Licensing Is Handled At The State Level. 'Typically, Graduating From Law School Does Not Make You A Lawyer, It Makes You A Law School Graduate,' Said Ms. Slonim . . . ." (Michael Davis, "Handful Backs Ford's Claim Of Being Lawyer," Chattanooga Times Free Press, October 7, 2006)

www.gopsenators.com

[brazzaville]

Good morning.
"...You're a lawyer if you graduate from law school."

No, you aren't. Passing the bar is something entirely different and very hard, as several people I know have found out.

My attorney never went to law school. She didn't even go to college. She worked for some years as a legal secretary, challenged required courses, and passed the bar exam on her first try.

Michael Frazier

[HitmanLV]

I think passing the bar and getting the license qualifies someone to self identify as a lawyer, even if they don't practice. He didn't pass the bar and get his license, so he doesn't even meet that qualification.

[swain_forkbeard]

Exactly.

[Fairview]

Wow, I'm impressed with your attorney. She must be an extraordinary woman. I know a lot of very bright people who spend thousands on bar-exam prep courses and still don't pass it the first time. She has my admiration.

[brazzaville]

Good morning.
"She must be an extraordinary woman."

She is. Thanks on her behalf. She is a fine attorney and a good person.

Michael Frazier

[tje]

You sure he wasn't saying 'liar'?

[GailA]

He's never worked in the private sector, and he has never practiced law. He does make laws and that to his demented mind gives him the right to say he's a lawyer.

JOHN SEMMENS: Semi-News http://www.azconservative.org/Semmens1.htm “Lawyer” Controversy Plagues Ford Campaign

In his campaign for the U.S. Senate, Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D-Tenn) is reported to have falsely claimed to be a lawyer. Ford was awarded a law degree by the University of Michigan Law School in 1996. Ford took the Tennessee bar exam in February 1997 but failed.

The allegation that Ford falsely claimed to be a lawyer stems from the following quote that appeared in the newspaper: “I told Senator (Lamar) Alexander, I said, ‘I won’t hold it against you if I’m elected, and there’s two lawyers in the delegation who try their hardest to work through the issues.”

Ford contends that the reporter misunderstood what he had said. “The word I used was ‘lawer’—you know, a person who makes laws, which is what I do in congress,” Ford said.

[brazzaville]

Good morning.
“The word I used was ‘lawer’—you know, a person who makes laws, which is what I do in congress,”

Sheesh. Is that clintonesque or what?

Michael Frazier

[libstripper]

GARBAGE! I'm a lawyer and in 30 plus years of practice I never saw anybody legitimately and legally represent himself or herself as a lawyer who was not licensed to practice in a single state. You get to call yourself a lawyer ONLY after you've been licensed to practice in at least one jurisdiction. In all cases you have to pass a character fitness exam; you usually have to pass a bar exam, but that's waived, at least in Wisconsin, for people who graduate from in-state law schools.

[bt_dooftlook]

They should lawer the boom on him for such public foolishness...IMHO

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I have always maintained that one who passes a bar exam is an "attorney".

To be a "lawyer", one need only to graduate law school.

[doug from upland]

I've written the parody song. If someone can pull some photos of Ford and bunnies, I'll do a quick YouTube.

[DMZFrank]

This dummy just gave us another reason not to vote for him. It is obvious he dosn't know what the word "legislator" means (by his own admission) and he is seeking election as one. (Or it is more liberal lies in search of the "higher" truth)

[Victoria Delsoul]

Oh, for crying out loud! The problem with this guy is he talks too much and too fast, and he is undermined by the anxiety running through his eyes and mouth whenever he tries to convince people that he's being sincere, which happens every time he faces the camera.

He comes across like a used car salesman, and a bad one at that.

[Fairview]

OK, OK, cool your jets! I've been told that by at least 10 people on this thread already and clearly I've made a mistake. Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa! I cringe before you in abject shame that I have committed this horrendous sin and beg that, unworthy as I am, I may crave forgiveness.

[Alberta's Child]

The problem with this guy is he talks too much and too fast, and he is undermined by the anxiety running through his eyes and mouth whenever he tries to convince people that he's being sincere, which happens every time he faces the camera.

What a remarkable description. LOL!

[Victoria Delsoul]

It's true though, LOL!!! Isn't it?

[Alberta's Child]

Yes, you're right. LOL!

[Victoria Delsoul]

Yeah!