Is that what McCain learned at Annapolis?

If you support a progressive agenda, then support a progressive candidate.

When John McCain graduated from the Naval Academy, he finished 5th bottom in his class, 894th out of 899. I don't presume to know for sure what caused this low ranking but recent actions lead me to wonder if he had trouble with their honor concept.

A concept which includes the injunction: They tell the truth and ensure that the full truth is known. They do not lie.

Perhaps there were other factors at the time that explain his low ranking, but St. John has had a quite a bit of trouble with the honor concept lately.

It's pathetic enough that St. John, with the corporate media's complicity, made the campaign for the highest office in the land spend a week arguing about lipstick.

The reality, of course, is that Barack Obama's 'lipstick on a pig' remark was aimed at the economic policies of McCain and Bush. But that didn't stop St. John from running an ad accusing Obama of calling GOP vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin a pig and trying to whip up faux outrage on trumped up charges of sexism. Never mind that McCain made the same 'lipstick on a pig' comment in relation to the health care plan of Hillary Clinton (who also happens to be a woman).

Then earlier today, St. John admitted that he had actually lied in the ad. He conceded that Obama had NOT in fact called Palin a pig.

So to recap:

Last week, McCain whips up faux outrage by whining that Obama called Palin a pig.

Today, he quietly flip flops and admits that Obama didn't really call Palin a pig.

Just as damningly, long-time Bush spinmeister Karl Rove said some of McCain's ads were not truthful and both sides should cool the attacks.

As much as St. John wants to distance himself from Bush, he seems to have picked up the incumbent's steadfast opposition to telling the truth.

It's bad enough that St. John has whored out his military service and POW experience to prop up popularity.

Polls Numbers First.

But when you run ads that are too deceitful even for Karl Rove, you know that 'honesty' is no longer part of your vocabulary.

It's not that uncommon for politicians to 'stretch the truth,' to use the euphemism. But it's pretty rare for them to admit it when they lie and even rarer when they can wave away the controversy without even a fake apology and suffer no consequences.

So we have the amazing spectacle of a politician whose entire reputation is based on honor and integrity OPENLY ADMITTING to lying about his opponent and there's virtually no public backlash from the large group of voters whose support is based primarily on his now discredited honor.

Where I come from, telling lies (and not even having enough shame to apologize, fake or sincere) does not represent honor or integrity, even if you're a retired military officer.

ESPECIALLY if you're a retired military officer.

But maybe people have in different perception in 'devout' middle America.

It must be nice to be a saint.