Once upon a time, it was considered news when a senior official in Washington blatantly lied to a Senate Committee.
No more.
If the Bush administration has proven anything, it is that the Big Lie is just as effective today as it was 60 years ago.
One of the most egregious examples of this occurred a few days ago when Senator Hillary Clinton challenged Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld over his constant optimism about Iraq. “I know you feel strongly about it,” she said, “but there’s a track record here. This is not 2002, 2003, 2004, ’5, when you appeared before this committee and made many comments and presented many assurances that have, frankly, proven to be unfulfilled.”
“Senator,” Mr. Rumsfeld replied, “I don’t think that’s true. I’ve never painted a rosy picture. I’ve been very measured in my words. And you’d have a dickens of a time trying to find instances where I’ve been excessively optimistic.”
Oh, so homey, so Rumsfeld-esque—and so utterly absurd.
http://www.observer.com/20060814/20060814_Charles_Kaiser_politics_wiseguys.asp