Finally, NY Times op-ed columnist Maureen Dowd is weighing in on the Dominique Strauss-Kahn case, which has turned from the authorities believing they had a strong sexual assault case against the leading international politician to revelations that the accuser has been lying a lot. She begins, "So what’s the moral of this Manhattan immorality tale? That the French are always right, even when their hauteur is irritating? They were right about Iraq and America’s rush to war. And they may be right about Dominique Strauss-Kahn and America’s rush to judgment." more ›

With the Albany County district attorney asked to determine whether Governor Paterson intentionally lied about paying for those World Series tickets, the Times points out that "it’s not always clear when he might be intentionally lying and when he is just saying wrong things." Gerald Benjamin, a political scientist at the State University College at New Paltz, said, "There’s a predisposition about politicians dancing around the truth. And generally he has not been regarded as a person as decisive or straightforward or whose word you can take to the bank." Is there a politician that has been? more ›

Cy Young Award- and World Series-winning pitcher Roger Clemens was indicted for making false statements to Congress during his testimony over steroid use. According to the NY Times, "The 19-page indictment charges Clemens with three counts of making false statements and two counts of perjury in connection with his February 2008 testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform... Clemens faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1.5 million fine, but under the current sentencing guidelines, a conviction would likely bring 15-21 months." more ›

For your listening pleasure: The Massachusetts Secretary of State's office released audio (after the jump) of Bernard Madoff telling hedge fund Fairfield Greenwich chief risk officer Amit Vijayvergiya in 2005 how to deal with the SEC when they might come snooping around, "You know, you don't have to be too brilliant with these guys, because you don't have to be." First rule of Bernie's Ponzi Club: You do not know about the Ponzi Club. Madoff said Fairfield Greenwich shouldn't worry about how he operated, "You don't want to have that information because ... the commission, when they ask questions, they try and draw out information. The less that you know how we execute ... the better you are." He recommended saying that since he's been around for 45 years, he's essentially totally trustworthy! Madoff added, "They ask you a zillion different questions and we look at them sometimes and we laugh, and we say, 'Are you guys writing a book?'" And he says of needing to deal with another phone call, "I'm sorry. If I get any more solicitations for charity, I'm going to kill myself." more ›