Fact Check Friday - #VPDebate

Now that the storm that was the Vice Presidential debate has passed, the media's "fact checkers" are out in full force. I have to admit, ever since the RNC, I've been skeptical of the media's brand of fact checking: http://loudmouthelephant.blogspot.com/2012/08/fact-checking-fact-check-did-cnn-rush.html

I wanted to put this out there so that people can contribute if they'd like. I think it's up to us, the "little guys," to dig and fact check and find the truth. I'm going to start off with one, and if you would like to contribute, please share them below.

Fact Check: Did Joe Biden vote against the wars in the Middle East?

I heard this last night and I wanted to look into it further.

Debate transcript: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/12/transcript-vice-presidential-debate/?hpt=hp_t2

     - "And, by the way, they talk about this Great Recession if it fell out of the sky, like, "Oh, my goodness, where did it come from?" It came from this man voting to put two wars on a credit card, to at the same time put a prescription drug benefit on the credit card, a trillion-dollar tax cut for the very wealthy. I was there. I voted against them. I said, no, we can't afford that."

What was the "that" Joe Biden was referring to? Did he vote against the wars, or did he try something slick here by lumping things he's voted against with something he's voted for? Let's find out: 

Joe Biden DID vote against Bush's prescription drug benefit (Medicare Part D): http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=1&vote=00459

Joe Biden DID vote against the Bush era tax cuts:

2001: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=107&session=1&vote=00170
2003: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=1&vote=00196

But, Joe Biden DID vote for the war in Afghanistan: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=107&session=1&vote=00281

Unlike the other pages listed here that provide the bill's description, this one just states it's for S.J. Res 23. Here is the link to S.J. Res 23: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:SJ00023:@@@L&summ2=m&

Joe Biden DID vote for the war in Iraq: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=107&session=2&vote=00237

Here is the link to H.J. Res 114: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:H.J.Res114:

Now I understand that maybe, just maybe, with his "we can't afford that" part that he was speaking for the other things, but I believe it is implied that he is talking mostly about the wars. Considering he said "from this man voting to put two wars on a credit card," I think it's completely valid to surmise that Biden implied he voted against the wars. While writing this, I decided to look at an NBC news article, and they said the same thing: http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/11/14379368-truth-squad-the-vice-presidential-debate?lite

     - "And the vice president was incorrect when he suggested tonight that he did not support the two wars because the country could "not afford" them. Biden voted for both wars."

Frankly, this is pretty big. To claim, "I voted against the wars because we couldn't afford them," only to find out he did is pretty blatant. I wonder if the press with pass this along. I highly doubt it.

What do you think? If you have fact checks, please share them below.