but

The testimony of Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North illustrate another thought expressed in this book. North is a prime example of those whom I call "born actors" ^[249] .
I do not claim that North really lied (although he was accused of having lied during his previous congressional testimony), but I want to say only that if he had lied, then we would not be able to determine it by his behavior. If he had to lie, he would have lied very convincingly. His performance was truly a wonderful performance ^[250] .
Public opinion polls conducted at that time showed that broad sections of America’s population simply admired North. Its attractiveness is due to many reasons. He might have seemed to David, fighting the powerful government of Goliath represented by the congressional commission. Some were impressed by his military uniform. In addition, he looked like a "whipping boy", unjustly punished instead of the president or director of the CIA. In addition, his style and style of behavior attracted by themselves. One of the characteristics of innate actors is that they are a pleasure to watch; people like their performances. There is no reason to believe that such people (although the temptation to lie to them is even stronger, because they know that it’s easier for them to get away with it) lie more than others, however, when they lie, their deception looks very convincing. The North case also raises ethical and political questions about the admissibility of lies in the mouth of a government official. And in the next chapter, we will discuss this with other historical examples.