I’ve always believed Lance Armstrong and now that he’s come clean, I think he might be lying. We’re in a world of shadows here, like a good spy novel — think John le Carré — where nothing is as it seems. And as in those novels, deception is not merely a plot device but deeply, morally corrosive. I can forgive his use of performance-enhancing drugs, but the lying is much harder to pardon.
Whispers of fraud have followed the Tour de France cyclist with every extraordinary win. Armstrong flatly denied the allegations — actually, he did far more than deny. He denounced them, loudly and vociferously. He became an anti-doping crusader of sorts, speaking proudly of the 600-plus drug tests he had passed. In one extraordinary piece of hubris, in 2004 he sued a British newspaper that had printed allegations about his drug use, winning a settlement and getting an abject apology.
Comments
One cannot compare Clinton's lying to Armstrong's lying; as each day passes since the big O interview and the stories of this guys lies and cruelty ot others continue to waft I wonder who would ever want to compete against such a cheater.
He sets a horrible example for kids and demeans the accomplishments of those who compete fairly and I suspect there are many who do.
Why doesn't Elizabeth Warren come clean on Oprah's show? Her followers are busy constantly white-washing her Wiki page, even removing the fact that upon reaching the Senate she did not identify herself as a Native American, the very thing she said she was so proud of.
Gosh Dad, sorry- we forgot to tell you the election's over. It's 2013 now...
And the lying continues. It's her Chappaquidick, it never goes away.
Gee' TK forgot Bush and Cheney in the lie department. What a shocker. All we ended up with was a bunch of dead people.. Armstrong rides a bike for a living. Doping is sports especially biking. What world do you live in. What a pathetic article.
Tom Keane's headline "Lance Armstrong and the art of lying". Tom, why don't you wrote a companion article "Barack Obama (or Elizabeth Warren or Deval Patrick) and the art of lying".
But why not George Bush, Dick Cheney, Mitt Romney? Why do Republicans hate this country so?
Honestman, I agree with you here. We are not well served by either side. The chance that we'll see another group in power again like Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld is the best reason for an armed citizenry. With the continuing powers of the Presidency you'll see drone attacks in this country on citizens in 50 years.