Posted by
Patrick Henry on Monday, March 02, 2009 10:48:50 PM
March winds have blown in sweeping February away, which means it is time for February's infamous Pinocchio award. It was a tough call, but we have a clear winner.
Giving it to new President Barack Obama is a near irresistable temptation, what with his broken campaign promises (already) and notorious pronouncement regarding the overblown stimlus package that "there are no earmarks in this bill." That whopper was so labeled by at least two fact chiecking organizations, both of which labeled it flatly untrue. But at the rate he's going, he'll be a good candidate for the award almost every month. His time will come, but it won't be February.
Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevic also deserves mention. Mr. "I have done nothing wrong," will be declaring his innocence to the heavens long after the prison doors have slammed shut behind him. His statements are so blatantly false the the fictional character Pinocchio would be shamed by the association.
No, the big winner for February is Roland Burris, the junior senator from Illinois who, after changing his story for the fourth time said, "There has been no change in my testimony." When asked plainly if he had been extorted or in any way approached for money by Blagojevic or any of his associates, his answer, under oath, before the Illinois senate was an unqualified "no." Later he just happened to remember that Blagojevic's brother had hit him up for a $10,000 campaign contribution, and filed an amended affidavit.
Now here is a man who presumably speaks English, knew exactly what the senate hearing was about and what they were trying to establish, leaves out incredibly incriminating evidence and then tries to cover himself later with an amended statment and still expects Americans to believe him. He'll almost certainly have to resign in disgrace because (a) they're going to get him for perjury and/or obstruction in Illinois and/or (b) his nose will be so long (the Pinocchio effect) that it will block the aisle of the senate chamber and have to be removed on a dolly.
The worst thing about lying politicians (are there any other kind?) is that they insult the rest of us by assuming we can't see through their prevarications. So, this Pinocchio is for you (soon not to be) Senator Burris. And, as we used to say in grammar school, "liar, liar, pants on fire." Don't let the chamber door hit you in the backside on the way out. On second thought, go ahead. Who cares?