I once asked students when it would be OK to cheat. One gave a perfectly logical but morally challenged answer; it is OK to cheat when being honest wouldn't help.

That answer very neatly encapsulates the morality of modern politicians who ironically refer to each other as the "honorable" senator, representative or even president.

When the media plays along, it becomes very difficult to know what is real and what is just another variant of a lie.

What was said about George W. Bush is an illustrative example. Did Bush lie about important policies and strategies?

The purposeful campaign of an entire political party and much of the American press painted him as a liar at every opportunity. Numerous politicians took cover from their vote to support the Iraq war by stating emphatically that Bush lied to them.

For most of those politicians, that charge was a lie.

It is true that presidents must sometimes hide the truth. Eisenhower lied about overflying the USSR. Everyone understands why he did so.

Johnson lied about the Gulf of Tonkin to escalate the Vietnam War. Although he may have thought the lie was in the best interests of the nation, most would agree that Johnson's belief did not coincide with their own.

But we seem to be in a new era. The majority of Americans voted for change, and we got it; hyper-government on steroids, with leaders so sure of their agendas that any level of lying is justified. Casual and purposeful lying is now so much a part of modern government that we are surprised when someone actually speaks the truth.

Obama's government seems to have taken it all to a new level, adopting the stance of Lenin when he stated, "I don't care what becomes of Russia. To hell with it. All this is only the road to a World Revolution."

Since I teach an occasional class about propaganda, let me show you how this works. Imagine an early morning meeting with President Obama (Pres), a top advisor (TA), and an aide (Ad).

TA: Good morning, Mr. President. We have you set for a speech in Ohio today at noon. Here is a copy of the text.

Pres: Are there any surprises here?

Ad: Maybe one, sir. You will say that flamingos are green.

Pres: Why am I saying that?

TA: You are speaking to an environmental group.

Pres: So what's the problem?

Ad: Last October in Oregon, you stated that flamingos were blue.

Pres: Why did I do that?

TA: You were talking to the Blue Action Coalition, sir.

Pres: Was it taped?

Ad: Yes. We think Fox has a copy.

Pres: Is that going to be a problem?

TA: We think we have everything under control. The press secretary will say you never said flamingos are blue. Senator Snort will have a press conference, and he will state that you have always said that flamingos are green.

Pres: Why will Snort cooperate?

TA: We loaded part of the stimulus to come online in his state just before the election. He owes us big time.

Ad: We have a statement out to CBS, which they will run this evening, accusing conservatives like Limbaugh of a long history of lying about flamingos. Republicans are afraid to be associated with him, so that ought to keep them quiet about your statement.

Ad: The New York Times, CNN and NPR will pick up our story and ask why conservative hate extends to flamingos.

TA: If Fox runs the old tape next to your new statement, very few people will pay attention. Besides, your announcement tomorrow morning about mining the moon for cheese will drive old stories out of the news.

Pres: Good work, guys.

TA: Thank you sir, but it's all in a day's work.

Pres: By the way, what color are flamingos anyway?

TA: Whatever you say, sir.