The Limits of Lying

By Jim Hoagland

Thursday, March 21, 2002; Page A35

Never, says the secretary of defense. Infinitely, says the solicitor general. And the question is: When do government officials lie to the American people?

The Bush administration's attitude toward truth-telling covers a lot of territory. The White House wants to feed into the media's maw every scrap of information that gives George W. Bush political advantage and/or glory. But this White House also clutches the cloak of secrecy more tightly than have other presidencies. Inevitably, this split personality emerges when Bush officials get put on the spot about governmental candor.

To calm an internal turf war at the Pentagon over control of public information policies and to stem damaging headlines, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld pledged a few weeks ago never to lie to the American public. Like Jimmy Carter on the campaign trail, Rumsfeld has set a standard of which he will be constantly reminded.

For Washingtonians who remember the one sure way to tell when Lyndon Johnson was lying -- whenever his lips were moving -- a conflicting statement by Solicitor General Theodore Olson to the Supreme Court on Monday has the ring of perverse honesty.

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