Fact Check on Final Debate

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14, 2004 -- -- Wednesday night's third and final presidential debate before Election Day was a night of impassioned pleas, complex explanations, sound bites -- and many misrepresentations.

Sen. John Kerry accused President Bush of having once said he was not concerned about Osama bin Laden.

Said Kerry: "This president was asked, 'Where is Osama bin Laden?' He said, 'I don't know. I don't really think about him very much. I'm not that concerned.' "

Bush replied: "Gosh, I just don't think I ever said I'm not worried about Osama bin Laden. It's kind of one of those exaggerations."

But when the president was asked about bin Laden in March 2002, he said precisely what Kerry had quoted the president as saying.

"I'll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him," said Bush.

But not all of Kerry's charges leveled during the debate were accurate.

Kerry alleged that Bush had never met with the Congressional Black Caucus during his first term. But Bush met with Caucus members in January 2001 and February 2004.

Kerry also said Bush had not "met with the civil rights leadership of our country," which is also incorrect. Bush has not met with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, but he has met with the Urban League three times.

Regarding economic policy, the president said most of the tax cuts went to low- and middle-income Americans. But according to Leonard Burman of the Tax Policy Center, "Almost two-thirds of the tax cuts went to the richest 20 percent of Americans."

On health care, Kerry said his health insurance proposal was "a plan to cover all Americans."

But according to John Sheils, vice president of The Lewin Group, which evaluates health coverage reform proposals, "the Kerry plan would cover about 25 million uninsured people, which is about three times as many people who are covered under the Bush plan. But it still leaves about 24 million people without insurance."