"A debate is where truth goes to die."
That was the first line out of the mouth of Dr. R.H. Flutes, head of the Lying Institute of America. Following the first debate between Romney and Obama, I decided to visit him once again. He went on to say:
Dr. R.H. Flutes: "A lie here and there is not a good tactic. Consistent lying is the best course of action because it is seamless... a lie leading to a lie. It is not unlike a well-written piece of music. Fluid. Coherent. And best of all, it makes us feel good."
And then I asked, "And you have no reservations about the idea of lying to millions and millions of Americans and the morality of deception?"
And at that moment I have to be honest with you, the doctor upon hearing my statement began to laugh so hard he doubled up in his chair. It must have been over a minute before he composed himself.
And then he said: "We are a nation of sugar freaks. Give us something that satisfies us for a few minutes at a time and we will forgive and forget everything. We have virtually forgotten about the Iraq War. The thousands upon thousands who died. The chaos. The instability in the region. Over 2 trillion of our dollars down the drain. Our young men and women killed, wounded. Where is the outrage? Most Americans don't even know what happened or care. And why don't they care? Good lies. Constant lying. Consistent lying. A lie that flows into a lie that flows into a lie."
Q: "What did you think of the recent Romney Obama debate?"
Dr. R.H. Flutes: "Wonderful lying on Romney's part. Seamless lying. Except that Big Bird comment."
Q: "Why point to that moment?"
Dr. R.H. Flutes: "Because that was the only true thing he said all night. And that became the story. The truth stuck out among all the lies. I'll say it again -- our motto at the institute is, 'Lie from beginning to end.' It is engraved over our entryway.?
Q: "But the Big Bird story did not go anywhere. It just became a joke."
Dr. R.H. Flutes: "Fortunately. And none of the media picked up on his real feelings about PBS. He got close to opening up Pandora's Box, and that truth could have gotten him in real trouble."
Q: "Can you explain, doctor?"
Dr. R.H. Flutes: "Romney doesn't care about Sesame Street. He doesn't care about Big Bird. The 400 million dollars it cost the government is pocket change. He wants to get rid of PBS because it is the only news service that is not beholden to any corporations. From time to time, all networks run into conflicts with sponsors. That's just a fact of life. Not PBS. No conservative wants a Frontline documentary exposing this or that. It's just not worth it. Why take any chance? There's no upside for big business."
Q: "I see."
Dr. R.H. Flutes: "Romney doesn't want to get rid of Big Bird. He just wants Big Bird sold by Kellogs. And what he's really saying is, I want PBS News to have commercials. That's the firewall to protect his corporate America."
And then he smiled.
Dr. R.H. Flutes: "Truth is a pesky thing. Think about it. One truthful moment in 90 minutes, and it was all over the airwaves. Fortunately that unspoken truth wasn't deciphered."