@PolitiFactWisc: Thanks for clearing that up

Claim: "Scott Walker says he would ban stem cell research."

PolitiFactWisc: No one disputes that Scott Walker opposes embryonic stem cell research. . . . [A] survey Walker completed for the group Pro-Life Wisconsin ... showed only that Walker opposes embryonic stem cell research, not that he wants to ban all stem cell research.

Well, Tom Barrett's teevee ad doesn't say Scott Walker wants to ban "all" stem cell research. What it says is that Scott Walker wants to "ban stem cell research," which is true. So how could it be false?

Especially if "no one disputes" it?

It may be misleading (at least, to anybody unfamiliar with the distinction between embryonic and adult stem cells) but it isn't false.

If you had three things and I took two of them away from you and you said, "He took my things!," it wouldn't do me much logical good to say, "That's false, I only took two of your things," now would it?

Meanwhile, in an earlier PolitiFactWisc entry, the PolitiFactWisc team seeks to evaluate Ron Johnson's claim that "Russ Feingold cut Medicare by $523 billion." After determining that "the health care law does not take $500 billion out of the current Medicare budget" and that "[t]here are no cuts to guaranteed Medicare benefits," the PolitiFactTeam nevertheless rates Johnson's claim, "Barely True."*

Ron Johnson says something false about Russ Feingold: It's true. Tom Barrett says something true about Scott Walker: It's false. Got it.

* How come there's no "Barely False" category?

eta: Plaisted, also.