Someone long ago said that politics is the art of the possible. They should have gone on to say that politics is also the art of the lie. 24/7 news coverage has made this a lot worse. That is not to say that there was less lying in the pre-television age, but the lies have gained a lot more power than they used have.Partial truth is a lie. Political spin is a lie. But what is the lie for? Why do politicians lie so often and so easily? It is not good enough to merely accuse a politician of