"A very common line from the past forty years is 'What did the President know, and when did he know it?'"
I have been fascinated by lies, lying and liars for quite a while. We all do it - story embellishments, "white" lies, and yes, even deceit. Lying has been around since the Garden of Eden. It is one of the oldest sins. Most of us know it is wrong, yet today, it still goes on, and goes on with vigor.
Watching the news shows last night, the decades old question came up over and over again. "What did the President know, and when did he know it?" The conclusion that most pundits came up with was two fold: 1) He (POTUS) is SO out of touch (President Bystander), that he just did not know or 2) He was at variance with the truth.
What kind of dribble is that? Variance with the truth? When I got caught lying to my parents as a young boy, the question was, "DID YOU LIE TO ME?!?! It was a direct question demanding a direct answer. Right now, every one is afraid to use the word "lie". Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) was asked last night if the Secretary of HHS lied to her during the hearing. Ms. Blackburn used every synonym in the book for liar. She could not force herself to use the word, even though the evidence is very strong that both the Secretary and President have lied, and lied frequently about the ACA.
So why do people lie? I believe many people lie because they don't believe they are lying anymore. They have become "accomplished liars" (a term some used for Bill Clinton). They have "drunk their own bathwater" for so long, the line between fantasy and truth goes from firm, to blurry, to gone. They have become like Walter Middy in their everyday lives. My belief is the desire to get this unpopular and controversial health care law passed was so strong by so many zealots, ANYTHING and EVERYTHING was "in bounds" in order to sell it.
However, here is the rub about lying. As we all know (as most all have told a lie at least once), keeping a lie valid takes a whole lot of work. In fact, to keep a lie alive, it often involves telling supporting lies which surround it. If for some reason the main lie and the supporting lies drift out of alignment, the whole story collapses like a house of cards. Ladies and gentlemen, that is exactly what I see happening today in Washington. The "great lie" about the ACA is becoming exposed, and quickly.
So what do we do with liars, especially those who we elect to serve us? We tried to impeach Bill Clinton. His loyalists in the Senate failed to throw him out of office. His supporters began to support his lies. "It depends on what the meaning of is, is", or "Oral sex in not really sex."
However, the best I heard during the Clinton era was "Oh, all men lie. It is okay, because he has done so much for women." I expect the similar defense to soon be hoisted for President Obama. "Sure he lied, but he NEEDED to in order to get this most important bill signed into law."
Mark Twain would often say there are "Lies, damned lies, and statistics". Today, I think we can replace that with there are "Lies, damned lies, and politics."
So why do people lie? I believe many people lie because they don't believe they are lying anymore. They have become "accomplished liars" (a term some used for Bill Clinton). They have "drunk their own bathwater" for so long, the line between fantasy and truth goes from firm, to blurry, to gone. They have become like Walter Middy in their everyday lives. My belief is the desire to get this unpopular and controversial health care law passed was so strong by so many zealots, ANYTHING and EVERYTHING was "in bounds" in order to sell it.
However, here is the rub about lying. As we all know (as most all have told a lie at least once), keeping a lie valid takes a whole lot of work. In fact, to keep a lie alive, it often involves telling supporting lies which surround it. If for some reason the main lie and the supporting lies drift out of alignment, the whole story collapses like a house of cards. Ladies and gentlemen, that is exactly what I see happening today in Washington. The "great lie" about the ACA is becoming exposed, and quickly.
So what do we do with liars, especially those who we elect to serve us? We tried to impeach Bill Clinton. His loyalists in the Senate failed to throw him out of office. His supporters began to support his lies. "It depends on what the meaning of is, is", or "Oral sex in not really sex."
However, the best I heard during the Clinton era was "Oh, all men lie. It is okay, because he has done so much for women." I expect the similar defense to soon be hoisted for President Obama. "Sure he lied, but he NEEDED to in order to get this most important bill signed into law."
Mark Twain would often say there are "Lies, damned lies, and statistics". Today, I think we can replace that with there are "Lies, damned lies, and politics."
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