Everyone gets upset at the lack of civility but the least objectionable thing about Darrel Issa’s recent comments was his reference to the White House press secretary as a “paid liar.” That’s simply an uncharitable and lopsided description of his job. It’s true that the press secretary is supposed to disseminate truthful information to the media, but he’s also supposed to put the best face on it. And he often has to be less than candid to protect our national secrets. One hopes that the press secretary isn’t deliberately misleading or completely dishonest, but we shouldn’t expect completely objective and totally honest representations from him. That is literally not his job.
Darrell Issa is a member of the House of Representatives. He is a partisan. We should not expect completely objective information from him, either. But we have every right to expect him to refrain from making totally unsubstantiated charges against his political opponents, especially when he is responsible for government oversight. While it’s not particularly fair, we could call any press secretary for any politician a “paid liar” without being incorrect. But, among politicians, Darrell Issa sticks out as one of the worst paid liars the nation has ever seen.
