There is a very fundamental distinction between an error and a lie.
When George W. Bush told us that he believed that there were wmd in Iraq and that he sent men men there because of it I believe him. I believe him because I think Bush is a conscionable man. I believe he saw what he wanted to see, heard what he wanted to hear and surrounded himself with yes men and consequently committed a gaff of epic proportions in nearly every way, but I don't think he lied.
lie (v); to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive.
To lie is to say something that you know to be untrue for express purpose of subverting the truth. To err is to believe one thing to be true and misjudge or act upon bad information resulting in a mistake. Another fine example would be the democrats believing that after Bush fatigue had settled in that the election of Obama was a mandate to federalize healthcare with the blessing of the American people. You see that was a mistake.
However...
Rick Perry ran for re-election saying that his leadership had led to a balanced budget. Of course as soon as he was re-elected he promptly announced that in fact the state was 15B in debt and he planned to pay for it by closing schools and cutting off finding for police, firemen, etc. Now you see that's a lie.
Some Perry moments of amazing leadership...
Taking the stage and hinting that Texas would secede if healthcare legislation passed.
Declaring that Texas would take no filthy lucre from the federalies while actually taking the federal money and using to disguise the budget shortfall in Texas during his re-election campaign.
Disgracing Kay Bailey Hutchinson by calling her a big spending Washington insider who was soft on abortion, and then (as soon as he had won the primary) asking her to stay in Washington because Texas needed leadership like hers on the national stage.
Planning to use imminent domain to seize millions of acres of private land to build a toll highway from Mexico to Kansas City so Wal Mart can circumvent child labor laws.
Contracting the construction of said road to a Spanish contracter and thus cutting the local boys out of the loop.
Declaring that we need to punish those horrible criminal illegal aliens all the while declaring that we must roll back regulations on the companies who hire them.
Ordering the state's attorney general to sue the EPA when the agency threatened to cut off highway funding because Texas air was so bad.
Complaining about filthy federal money while suing the feds to keep it coming.
Ordering the attorney general to counter sue the plaintiffs on behalf of energy companies when lawsuits were brought against gas drilling firms because of an outrageous spike in child lukemia in neighborhoods near drilling sites.
I gotta tell you folks, if Perry is the nominee for the Republicans...
I'm voting for Obama.
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