Reply #12: Politics is the art of making the expedient appear to be based in

[smoogatz]

principle. In that sense, all politicians bend the truth. Still, some politicians do what's expedient for them, personally, while others consistently try to do what's best for the country. In that sense, every lie is not equal to every other lie. Clinton lied in an attempt to protect his personal, private life from public scrutiny--no lives were lost as a result. Bush lied about public policy, and now we're stuck in Iraq with no apparent plan to win or to leave, and tens of thousands have died for no good reason.