Any decent PR Flack will tell you that if you have something you want to hide, release it on a Friday. And since Erik “The Hustler” Paulsen wants to hide who he really is, he held a press conference yesterday, on a Friday. And he told a whopper; a whopper that’s been told by other republiCons; and a whopper that’s been thoroughly and completely debunked. Asked to clarify that whopper, by the media, instead of acknowledging a mistake and trying to move on, Paulsen just danced. Mark Brunswick has the story, here, on his blog, in a story entitled ”Katrina oil spills and what the meaning of the word “is” is”.

In a passing reference to offshore drilling, Paulsen said this:

“We have seen even in tragedies like Hurricane Katrina where there have been environmentally sensitive areas that have been protected, where oil was not spilled and some of these catastrophic challenges that faced the United States. These are critical areas that we need to tap additional reserves and sources for our own energy sources here in the United States.”

… and with that Paulsen stepped into a potential political spill of his own, one that seems to have gummed up the works of several other candidates. Presumptive Republican Presidential nominee John McCain spoke out a townhall meeting on July 15, saying Katrina and Hurricane Rita “did not cause any real difficulties.” McCain’s senior policy advisors have said the same thing.

The talking point has been repeated and massaged. It all may come down to the Clintonian question of what the meaning of the word “is” is. But Paulsen is clearly stretching reality if you take away from his statement that no oil was spilled offshore as a result of Katrina or Rita.(StarTribune)

Ladies and Gentlemen, a Star Tribune reporter, any reporter, saying a politician “is clearly stretching reality” is Reporterese for “he flat-out told a whopper.”

And Paulsen telling this particular whopper is an appropriate time to point out Eden Prairie GOPer Mayor Maybe, er, ’scuse me, “Phil Young”, had a similar problem with what the meaning of “help” is.

Both Paulsen and Young, elected GOPer officials, offer stark reasons why reasonable people no longer can reasonably trust elected Republicans to tell the truth. Both were caught telling whoppers; both refused to ‘fess up and move on.

Mayor Young survives his whopper for now; he’s not up for re-election for another two years and he’s hoping voter’s memories are short. Will Paulsen may survive his latest whopper? He told it on a Friday which PR Flacks would tell you is a good day to hide stuff. Not as good as a Sunday, but still pretty good. And I bring up “Sunday”, because it was on a Sunday, when very little coverage could be expected, that Paulsen announced his campaign for congress, and announced he was moderate candidate, like Frenzel and Ramstad. One thing Paulsen said that is true, is Paulsen promised in this race, he wouldn’t be out-hustled.

Ladies and Gentlemen, like Mayor Maybe in 2006, Erik Paulsen is trying to hustle the electorate. Thirty-four years ago today, Richard “I am not a crook” Nixon resigned, because he didn’t tell the truth. Thirty-four years later, Erik Paulsen has not learned that lesson, and hustles onward, hoping voters won’t notice a whopper told on a Friday.

(cross posted at The Eden Prairie News)

(originally published at MnBlue.com)