Presidential lies

I recently came across a discussion group over what has been the biggest presidential lie. The thread was prompted by Eric Alterman's book, "When Presidents Lie: A History of Official Deception and its Consequences." Knowing how partisan Alterman is, I won't recommend the book, but most of the comments in the group dealt with Bush's sixteen words in the State of the Union Address regarding British intelligence about Iraq's attempts to buy uranium from Niger, and with Bill Clinton's "I did not have sex with that woman."

Two quick comments on each of these. FactCheck.org, run Brooks Jackson, a former CNN correspondent, and having on staff former workers for Senator Chuck Hagel and Senator Edward Kennedy, concluded that while Bush may have been wrong, he didn't lie. As to Clinton, not only did he admit to the nation that he lied about Monica Lewinsky, a federal judge found he gave "intentionally false" answers in a deposition, and held him in contempt of court.

But are those really the biggest presidential lies? What about James Buchanan's disingenuous statement in his inaugural address about slavery in the territories and the Dred Scott decision? He said that slavery in the territories "is a judicial question, which legitimately belongs to the Supreme Court of the United States, before whom it is now pending, and will, it is understood, be speedily and finally settled. To their decision, in common with all good citizens, I shall cheerfully submit, whatever this may be."

Buchanan had been advised before his address that the Court's decision would favor slaveholders, so this statement had profound negative policy implications. Why mislead the country with "whatever this may be"? Was prolonging slavery the biggest presidential "lie"? While not exactly a lie, Buchanan certainly misled the nation on an issue that, four years later, resulted in civil war.

But here's my candidate for biggest presidential whopper: "The era of big government is over." Bill Clinton, 1996.