The harmless lie and the killing lie. Let's emphasize the right one!

[Bucky]

The lie about never meeting Edwards before tonight holds the risk of overshadowing the "I never said there was a connection" lie. One lie has an in-you-face, easily disprovable, "sight-bite" quality to it. You say yall never met, Dick, but look--yall were at a prayer breakfast together couple of years ago. Were you too busy dodging lightning bolts to notice that guy right next to you?

It's just a gotcha. Sexy gotcha. Flashy gotcha. This will play on tv; it's a true sight bite. But ultimately it's a harmless lie.

On the other hand, this picture has the visual power to overwhelm the really bad lie he told tonight, that he'd never said there was a connection between 9/11 and Iraq. This lie tries to coverup his actual words which, ultimately, sent a thousand service personnel to their deaths and got 12-14,000 Iraqis dead and has mutilated many thousands more and has ruined our national reputation, impaired our alliances, and strengthened the hand of al-Qaida.

This is not as sexy a gotcha, because the visual is of Cheney on a talk show and requires people to listen to and think about the nuance of what he's saying. I'm afraid the wrong lie is gonna get all the airplay.

I hope everyone here remembers to go to work tomorrow and make the point to friends and fellow-voters that the worse lie is his claim that he didn't try and confuse the country about who murdered 2700 people on our soil on his watch.

[indie_voter]

1. harmless lies are more potent

If you lie about stupid stuff then you are more likely to lie about important stuff.

[Demoiselle]

2. Really good point, Bucky.

But the ease and simplicity of proving the "harmless" lie is very seductive. And let's not forget the motive for both lies is the same--to stay in power. I don't think either lie is harmless.

[Tweed]

3. Bush's huge lies about the war haven't pissed undecideds off

The 'lies' about Love Story and the Internet helped to kill the Gore campaign. Push the breakfast lie even though I agree with your logic Bucky.

[The Magistrate]

6. Indeed, Sir

Push the funny lie as a wedge to open the way for exploitation of the serious lies.

Even the funny lie has an important point to it: sheer incompetence. What an amateur mistake, to tell a lie so readily, easily, and spectacularly refuteable! That is the act of a bufoon, not a canny dangerous, dangerous political operative.

"What people have been made to laugh at, they can seldom be persuaded to take seriously afterwards."

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[grace0418]

4. Oddly enough, they're right

We're talking about people that get all upset about John Kerry windsurfing. I think the big lie, the killing lie, is too complicated for them. Let them see the stupid lie, the obvious lie (apparently they didn't just meet, they had a 3 hour conversation). It's got to be dumbed down for the reality show watchers.

[sandnsea]

5. One lie leads to another

War stuff, people can justify. National security, it's complicated, whatever. Lying about meeting somebody when you met them at a National Prayer Breakfast??? That's just weird, an out and out lie. They really are liars, that's the message. Then people start listening when the other lies are talked about, and oh boy, they will be!

Let's just don't forget ALL the lies, the al zarqawi lie is actually the most important. Without zarqawi, they've got no terrorist boogie man in Iraq. Article today that the CIA said there was no Saddam/zarqawi connection. Cheney had to know that, he certainly gets CIA reports well before the media does.