I am afraid I am even more cynical than Rick. One of the most familiar strategies these days is to pose as someone "speaking truth to power". George W. Bush, for example, went through his campaign talking about how it was time to sweep out all those eggheads in Washington, bring politics back to the people, and other crap. Anytime I see or hear someone saying it is time to tell the truth, I know I am about to be given the "little people vs. those bastards" line. This feeds people's distrust of government, and helps them decide not to vote, especially when each new reformer turns out to be more of the same. These days, the "cleaning out of that place" usually means a right-wing agenda of cutting back on government, regulation, and social support.

Similarly, the "truth" is a synonym for "those liars, not me." Yet, if we look around, we see environmentalists driving SUVs, free traders protecting their own subsidies, people demanding that we help the Third World but not prepared to do anything about it, etc. In my home province, everyone is bitching about the recent blackout. Were there demonstrations in the street when the government deliberately froze electricity rates? Where did the government get the idea that raising electricity prices might annoy citizens?

They are not telling us the truth because we prefer lies. It makes us feel good every once in awhile to have someone tell us the truth, it amuses us, and gives us a shudder of pleasure. But a steady diet of truth would upset us too much.

Saints are lousy and dangerous politicians, by and large. In my country (Canada), and in England, and other countries I know, politicians are usually being asked to do complicated conflicted things, balance off competing demands, and remain somewhat consistent with their own party's philosophy, which cannot become too anarchic, or, except in very special circumstances, they will not have enough resources to be elected again. Truth, in that case, is a negotiated thing.
yours,

Peter T.