The Honest Truth About Presidential Lying
Falsity is fundamental to U.S. politics.
This is an edition of Time-Travel Thursdays, a journey through The Atlantic’s archives to contextualize the present, surface delightful treasures, and examine the American idea. Sign up here.
Not so long ago, an writer set out to defend the former president, a notorious liar with a knack for escaping jams—and one who derived an unseemly joy from impunity. Hand-wringing about this sort of behavior, , not only smacks of self-righteousness, but also misunderstands the very business of politics, which is to get things done, not be a moral exemplar. Despite the whining of elite classes, the public was getting what it wanted:
