Sanders snaps back at Washington Post after critical editorial

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., is not backing down from criticism levied by The Washington Post editorial board, which called his presidential campaign "fiction."

In an editorial published Wednesday, the board called "Bernie Sanders's fiction-filled campaign," and criticized him for being short on specifics when it comes to implementing his ambitious agenda.

"When reality is ideologically or politically inconvenient, he and his campaign talk around it," the newspaper wrote. "Mr. Sanders's success so far does not show that the country is ready for a political revolution. It merely proves that many progressives like being told everything they want to hear."

At a breakfast hosted by Bloomberg in Des Moines, Iowa, Thursday, Sanders shot back at the paper repeatedly.

"That's not a new argument. We've been hearing that months and months, and that's in a sense what this campaign is about," he said. "People are telling us, whether it's the Washington Post editorial board or anybody else, our ideas are too ambitious — can't happen. Too bold — really? Well, here's something which is really bold. In the last 30 years, there has been a massive transfer of wealth from the middle class and working families of this country. The middle class has become poorer and trillions of dollars have been transferred to the top one-tenth of 1 percent.

"That's pretty radical, isn't it? Where was The Washington Post to express concern that the middle class was shrinking?"

But his counter strikes didn't stop there.

One reporter asked Sanders about foreign policy and he chose to take another shot.

"Getting back to The Washington Post — check out where all the geniuses on the editorial page were with regard to the invasion of Iraq," he said.

The Post admitted that at the time, the editorial board supported the invasion.

The newspaper has already picked a fight with another presidential hopeful this election cycle -- albeit on the other side of the aisle.

Just before Christmas, The Post ran a cartoon mocking Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for featuring his daughters in campaign ads. Cruz slammed the post, but later used the cartoon in fundraising calls. The paper pulled the cartoon and apologized.