Politico may have gone too far in insisting Carson “fabricated” his memory that he had been admitted with a full scholarship to West Point. He says that in a meeting with General William Westmoreland it was intimated to him that he could have a scholarship if he wanted one.  But, Westmoreland’s records suggest he wasn’t in Detroit when Carson said they met. And, even if the two met, saying “Hey you are a smart dude and would be a great candidate for admission at West Point” isn’t the same thing as being formally offered admittance. It’s just not.

And, even if you support Carson, you should find it slightly strange that nine people who grew up with him in Detroit told CNN said that his recounting of his troubled youth and angry temperament don’t jibe with their remembrances. Or that, when pressed, Carson has refused to name even a single person involved in several of the incidents of violence he wrote about in “Gifted Hands,” his memoir. “I’m not giving any information about who the person was that I tried to knife,” Carson told Jansing Saturday in one of the most amazing quotes ever from a presidential candidate.

None of the above means that Carson is a fabulist or that he shouldn’t be president. But, the idea that the questions raised about inconsistencies in his personal story are somehow out of bounds or the result of some sort of “witch hunt” is equally ridiculous. And, simply because Carson says it doesn’t make it any more true.