October 22, 2003
Lies and Lies
Salon.com Books | Big whoppersA brief excerpt:
What is the worst lie a president can tell?What's interesting is that many people would say the first lie is worse. And I don't mean the people that are just making a big deal out of it for political gain. Many of these people aren't being disingenuous. The thinking is that these people believe Bush's heart is in the right place, and that he lies like this out of conviction and a desire to do what he believes is best for the country, which is ultimately honorable. Whereas Clinton lied out of lustful self-interest. So clearly Clinton's lie was worse."I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky."
Or ...
"He has weapons of mass destruction -- the world's deadliest weapons -- which pose a direct threat to the United States, our citizens and our friends and allies."
It focuses on (perceived) motivation rather than end result. Whereas the end result of Bush's lie is bad for the country, while the end result of Clinton's lie is bad for... Hillary, I guess. So again it's a clash of two contradictory ideologies. I think the real challenge is to find what to accept in the opposing ideology, and then figure out how to translate in a way that can be communicated to both sides. Comparing Bush to Clinton isn't going to do anything to convince a Bush supporter.