Which brings us back to transparency. There is no question that elected and appointed officials who work closely with the president owe him their loyalty. But they also owe loyalty to their country.
Such officials, especially those who leave the administration mid-course, as several of Obama’s aides already have done, must decide if history will liken their words and actions to those of Rabbis Wise and Silver or to those of Vice President Wallace, Adolph Held, and Treasury Secretary Morgenthau.
Time will clear away the political and campaign verbiage, and history will record the truth for future generations. All will be judged and remembered for their words and deeds.
Until we get transparency, we should heed the warning of Mark Twain: “The history of our race, and each individual’s experience, are sown thick with evidence that truth is not hard to kill, and a lie, told well, is immortal.”
Lou Lapidus edited news and documentaries as chief film editor at WABC-TV in New York for 36 years.