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PJ Mediahttps://pjmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/06/12/profiles-in-treachery-or-why-its-ok-to-lie-if-you-are-a-us-congressman/feed/PJ Media is a leading news site covering culture, politics, faith, homeland security, and more. Our reporters and columnists provide original, in-depth analysis from a variety of perspectives.en-usWed, 10 Jun 2026 09:35:27 -0400Profiles in treachery, or Why it's OK to lie if you are a US Congressman<![CDATA[The first casualty of war, it’s said, is truth. Well, how about politics? What’s its first casualty? The same thing, it seems. Here’s a question: just how far would your common or garden variety politician go in economizing on the truth. i.e., in lying? Not sure? Take a look at Andrew McCarthy’s depressing report over at NRO on the report just issued by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. The issue being adjudicated was “whether public statements regarding Iraq by U.S. government officials were substantiated by intelligence information” before the Iraq war started in 2003. The results are a shameful tissue of partisan misrepresentation. “All one really needs to know about this exercise in legerdemain,” McCArthy writes, “is revealed by SSCI Chairman Jay Rockefeller’s diktat – over Republican protest and adopted without a vote – that the Committee would focus myopically on prewar statements made by administration officials. That is, the SSCI opted to overlook the overflowing stream of bellicose commentary, often less restrained, by Democrats.” M<cCarthy continues:]]>Thu, 12 Jun 2008 04:42:22 -0400<![CDATA[Roger Kimball]]>https://pjmedia.com/roger-kimball/2008/06/12/profiles-in-treachery-or-why-its-ok-to-lie-if-you-are-a-us-congressman-n114898