Lyin' like a rug.

From Mudflats and Andrew Sullivan, a reminder regarding some of the big whoppers Palin has said, and keeps saying.

Alright, you’re going to need lots of equipment for this one. [...] Protective forehead padding? Check.

Has the cumulative effect of people lying to save their ass, whether in court or on television or speaking to an audience created an environment in which politicians who don't lie seem bizarre or possibly something worse than a liar?

Or do some people lie all the time, whether they're politicians or not? Do they believe their lies, even when there is proof to contrary? Or do they continue to prevaricate, as someone who knows they've done something unethical or committed a crime will proclaim their innocence because they can?

Many organizations - hospitals and professional associations for example - now affirm that honesty is the best policy and they have research to back them up. Let's hope that personal responsibility and institutional accountability are coming back in style - the sooner the better.

Update, from here:

Sarah Palin was an unprepared, uninformed Vice Presidential candidate who repeatedly made false statements in public, according to a top McCain campaign aide.

In a 60 Minutes segment based on John Heilemann's and Mark Halperin's new book, "Game Change," McCain's senior adviser Steve Schmidt recounts some devastating anecdotes about Palin from the campaign trail.

How will $arah's sycophants and admirers explain away these statements from a Republican political operator? It could be difficult to attack Steve Schmidt by claiming he's an unattractive, jealous feminazi who regrets not having babies.