HOW do politicians get away with bending the truth? The answer may lie with a fundamental psychological tool that we use to make sense of the world.
The current US presidential campaigns have featured untruths on both sides that have been notable for their durability. Politicians have been exposed for misrepresenting their position and then kept at it anyway, making the same misleading statements again and again.
Sarah Palin has taken much flak for this. To prove she is a fearless fiscal conservative, Palin touts her previous resistance to the "Bridge to Nowhere", a multimillion-dollar link between mainland Alaska and an island that is home to a small airfield and 50 inhabitants. In reality, Palin backed the bridge, even after Congress scrapped the project. Journalists have pointed this out, yet Palin continues to voice her apparent opposition.
Democrats are also at it. They've repeatedly said that McCain is ...
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