Lies beget lies beget lies beget drama…

Let’s jump right on in, shall we?

I watched Matt Lauer’s interview of Senator Larry Craig last night and, despite all hopes that it would be an evening of schadenfreudel bliss, I was disturbed. Maybe it was the result of some recent deception based events I’ve personally experienced…or maybe it was just the tragedy of what unfolded on screen…but that shit troubled me deeply.

My Grandmère, bless her soul, used to say that lies beget lies beget lies beget drama and damn it if life doesn’t constantly prove her right.

Lately, I’ve been making a study of it.

There is the initial lie…the “I’m straight” or “I’m sane” or “I’m a doctor” and so forth. I’ve noticed that there is almost always a motive of gain…some sort of personal or financial benefit that inspires the lie.

Then there is the first question or request for clarification that sets the lie into motion. “What do you do?” “Where do you work?” “When is the baby due?” “Why did you issue a formal statement after that Congressional Page scandal leaked when no one else did?”

What follows is less the living of a lie and more the living life as a sequence of potentially lie exposing moments of anxiety. Someone asks a question that you should know and you don’t know the answer and you have to either handle that shit or fumble it. Each moment of truth adds another item to be juggled and another lie to be maintained.

Oh but there is always a moment of dramatic exposure. The lie is outed…the truth is reveled. Perhaps the liar is arrested while soliciting gay sex…or maybe a personal phone number is found in an alleged madam’s phone book...or mayhap a navy blue dress is sent in for forensic analysis.

Or could it be that someone shows up at the place where you said you worked only to find you do not and never did work there?

Blink.

Oh the damage damaged people do.

Last night was yet another performance of declaration diplomacy…another fool trying to speak something into being.

I see Senator Craig’s “I’m not gay.” as just another version of that same sorry ass conservative strategy.

Doesn’t “I don't think our troops ought to be used for what's called nation building.” beget “In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.” beget “America does not torture.” beget “We will do what it takes.” beget “We want to put poor children first.” beget drama upon drama upon drama…

…and damage upon damage upon damage upon damage?

What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? (Matthew 16:26).

What indeed?

What indeed…