Why is it not illegal for politicians to lie?

[fenriswolf]

or would politics just crumble and die if our politicians couldn't distort, triangulate, manipulate, stretch or outright lie?

[teacher gal]

1. ha

They make a practice of it.

[napi21]

2. It's not illegal for YOU to lie either! The only time a lie becomes

illegal is if someone...anyone is under oath.

[fenriswolf]

4. then we should demand that they be under oath when making

history making statements dont you think?

or do we not think our leaders would lie to us?

[Tesha]

19. That's not exactly true; there is a crime called "unsworn falsification". (NT)

[silverweb]

3. Good question.

Probably for the same reason it's not illegal for the news media to lie.

If they're serving their corporate masters, it's all good, right?

[CK_John]

5. It's called the 1st amendment. n/t

[fenriswolf]

6. right freedom of speech

so a person in a position of power can lie to his peers and lie to the american people and that is his right?

so it was ok for bush and his cronies to lie?

I mean freedom of speech is one thing, lying to the american people to further a personal agenda is another thing.

[stillcool]

8. We can be lied into an illegal war...

and that's okay. Lie about taking steroids and you're in deep shit. Lies are only lies if you get caught.

[fenriswolf]

11. but they have been caught

935 verifiable lies.

[stillcool]

12. not only with lies...

Our Justice Department is unjust. I think..or I hope.. that the split in the Democratic party has something to do with getting the country back to some kind of balance. We're in a heap of shit, regardless of who gets elected. I don't know what it's going to take to start straightening this out, but I am so willing to give Obama a chance at changing direction.

[fenriswolf]

13. agreed

Hope is what he is campaigning on. I have not seen anything from hillary to suggest that she has changed her policies of corporates always first and throw the dems a bone every now and then. Obama is a politician, yeah their is some shady shit but I do think that he is already established in the corruption culture? thats the question, thats what establishment candidate means, already established in the culture of corruption. Obama just might be the guy to turn this train around. I sure do Hope So.

[madokie]

20. in bush/cheney's case I think what they were doing was/is treasonous

I agree why should they be allowed to lie to us. I think the founders figured the election process would take care of all these little things like lies to begin a war etc but they had no way of knowing how elections would change, how we count the votes and so forth. If we don't get the press back and start demanding truth we will lose what we have left

[greenvpi]

7. Because they make the laws.

Period.

[MonkeyFunk]

9. Because the real definition of "lie" is hard to pin down

I can't think of a single person I've ever known who hasn't lied in some respect, and certainly no politician.

[Booster]

10. Because Bush made all lies legal. Simple, really.

[Ravy]

14. It *is* illegal for them to lie,

No, no.. I am lying about that.

:evilgrin:

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

15. Not enough prisons.

[Kokonoe]

16. If a law was made against lying it would only apply to people

that are not politicians.

[leftofthedial]

17. our "election" process has been privatized and is owned by corporations

as we all know, corporations can not survive--or even exist--if they do not lie

[genie_weenie]

18. Because everything is true.

Especially false things.