Cheney lies because he believes the public should be lied to. As historian Thomas Bailey said in 1948, "Because the masses are notoriously short-sighted and cannot see danger until it is at their throats, our statesman are forced to deceive them into an awareness of their own long-run interests."

Cheney has accepted the concept of "noble lies." He believes the masses should be manipulated for the good of the country. He may be right.

Of course, one problem with noble lies is they tend to undermine Jeffersonian democracy, government by the informed consent of the governed.

Another problem is it's easy to rationalize most lies as noble, particularly in times of war.

Cheney should be careful. He risks becoming another Bagdad Bob.