Paul Ryan and SLS-the Serial Liar Syndrom

Small things that may have great significance

   I have the feeling when I hear  Paul Ryan that he lies with an ease and facility that I have not seen in a politician since Richard Nixon was in his prime. As many commentators pointed out, he lied repeatedly in his convention speech accepting the V.P. nomination,  but beyond that  there is something more disturbing. He lies gratuitously. He lies when the truth would not hurt him. His lie about his marathon experience is a small matter, but sometimes small things portend deeper issues. That minor ache might portend cancer. Asked about his athletic proclivities by a conservative talk show host Ryan said he had run two sub-three-hour marathons. The host was impressed as, indeed, anyone would be—except what he said was not true. He had run only one marathon and finished in over four hours. Finishing a marathon is an extraordinary feat—runners know  their exact time.  He did not make a mistake. He lied. He lied about something that doesn’t matter,  something that should have been beside the point, raising the question---is he a compulsive liar, a liar who cannot help himself? The evidence thus far suggests the answer is ‘yes’.