Me and my chief advisors I read Ruth Marcus’s commentary in our local paper this morning. Ruth Marcus is a columnist and editorial writer for The Washington Post. She was writing about National
Intelligence Director, James Clapper and his statement that he had answered in the “least untruthful manner” when asked by Senator Ron Wyden asked if the NSA was collecting data on millions of American citizens. Clapper had answered “No, sir...not wittingly.” We now know that he
lied.
You might be tempted to consider "the least untruthful manner” as a "little white lie." We have all done that on occasions. Such an occasion might be when your significant other asks, “Does this dress make me look fat?” Except in clapper’s case, he was talking about national security and testifying before a Senate committee. That is hardly a white lie occasion. I would have preferred him to say, “I lied in
the interests of national security.” I suppose that if he did not answer at all, it would have confirmed that the NSA was spying on American citizens. Even if he stated that he could not talk about it in a public forum, it would have confirmed it. It would have been better if Senator Wyden had not asked the question in a public forum.
I wrote about honesty and truthfulness in my recent e-book, Leadership for New Managers: Book Two. It is available at http://smashwords.con/b/300090.
Intelligence Director, James Clapper and his statement that he had answered in the “least untruthful manner” when asked by Senator Ron Wyden asked if the NSA was collecting data on millions of American citizens. Clapper had answered “No, sir...not wittingly.” We now know that he
lied.
You might be tempted to consider "the least untruthful manner” as a "little white lie." We have all done that on occasions. Such an occasion might be when your significant other asks, “Does this dress make me look fat?” Except in clapper’s case, he was talking about national security and testifying before a Senate committee. That is hardly a white lie occasion. I would have preferred him to say, “I lied in
the interests of national security.” I suppose that if he did not answer at all, it would have confirmed that the NSA was spying on American citizens. Even if he stated that he could not talk about it in a public forum, it would have confirmed it. It would have been better if Senator Wyden had not asked the question in a public forum.
I wrote about honesty and truthfulness in my recent e-book, Leadership for New Managers: Book Two. It is available at http://smashwords.con/b/300090.
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