True Lies In Politics

John Adams famously said: “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” It may be so, but it seems to me that facts are not always so absolute as Mr. Adams would have us believe. There are times when a statement of fact may be both true and false at the same time. Let me give you a couple of examples.

A couple of days ago, the former governor and senator from Nebraska, Bob Kerrey, said: “I've watched the blogs try to say that you can't trust him [Barak Obama] because he spent a little bit of time in a secular madrassa. I feel quite the opposite.” Kerry, a Hillary Clinton supporter, said this in the CNN Situation Room. Is it true? Did Obama attend a madrassa? Yes, and well, not exactly.

When he was 6 through 10 years old, Obama lived in Indonesia, with his mother and stepfather. He attended a public school in Jakarta. Students wore western clothes and studied a basic Indonesian public-school curriculum. Some of the students were Islamic (Indonesia is 90% Islamic), others students were Christian and Buddhists. In Arabic madrassa literally means “place where learning happens” or school.

So it is true Obama attended a madrassa. But, this statement is also not true because of the connotation the term madrassa produces in many Americans. When some one uses the term madrassa, many of us see images of bearded zealots disgorging virulent anti-American propaganda. That is not what happened where Obama just went to school.

Kerrey made his statement and then went on to praise Obama, but the damage is done. The message planted the seed.

A similar argument can be made about Mike Huckabee’s statement in an article he authored for the New York Times Magazine. He wrote, “Don’t Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers.” Mormons do believe that God is the father of- and creator of all beings, thus we are all spirit sons and daughters of god, including the devil.

So Huckabee’s statement is true. But, the statement is also not true. Mormons believe that Jesus is the only begotten in the flesh son God. They worship Jesus as the son of God and the savior of mankind. Satan, to Mormons, is the exact opposite of Jesus and opposite of what Jesus stands for." So, Huckabee’s statement is also false. It connotes that Mormons are just a small step removed from devil worshiping cult. Huckabee, a ordained minister knew before he wrote the statement that he was planting a false seed. But he did it anyway.

To me a statement which is factually true but deliberately presents a false connotation is a lie the same as a statement that deliberately distorts facts. It is unfortunate that not one candidate (Republican or Democrat) is willing to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.