The Importance Of The Oath

Now, let's pretend that we had a sure-fire way to prevent people from lying, say at a congressional hearing, or even in a court of law. And let's pretend that we would make these people (who could concievably lie) swear an "oath" - let's say on a bible - and it would go something like this:

"I swear to tell the truth so help me God"

Now, you might be thinking "Well! That's good enough for me! Nobody would lie after they've sworn an oath to God! They would go straight to hell!" - But wait! There's more!

In addition to eternal damnation, if they are caught lying, they get to serve jail sentences and pay all manner of fines, and it's really just better in the long run to tell the truth.

So in the cases of the 9/11 Commision, the Valerie Plame case, and even the good 'ol Oil Executives hearing, when they decline to take this "oath" of truth telling, you can pretty much bet that the words that are coming out of their mouths are not exactly the truth.

And when, as the Miami Herald reports, our Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says:

"my answers would be the same whether I was under oath or not,"

You can be sure the results will be pretty much the same.