Brian Williams: Top Lies Told to Impress Others

It ain't braggin if it's true....

Reporter Brian Williams got roasted this week for getting caught in a lie.  It wasn't a lie that one tells to get out of trouble or spare someone's feelings or even get a job promotion.  It was a lie meant to impress his audience and give him the street "cred" for the on-the-scene-reporting world.  He originally made up the tale in 2003, claiming he was shot at during the Iraq War.  He would have probably gotten away with it, but he just wouldn't let the story die by constantly referring back to the time when he was "shot down" by enemy fire.  Others who were also at the scene couldn't take it anymore and outed him.

Williams deserves to be the butt of everyone's joke for the moment, but he is not alone.  Anyone who has ever worked in a bar listens to B.S. on a daily basis.  The bull is usually comprised of near death experiences, acts of heroism, genius interventions, and multiplying wealth.  The story-teller self-portrays himself as some kind of god. It's pathetic but entertaining.  

Many argue that Brian Williams is not on a bar stool.  He is the media which is held up as the ultimate beacon of truth.  As a New World Order kind of a girl, I question the main stream media's brand of fair and unbiased facts.  Their stories are chosen to advance the agendas of their stations' owners.  Brian Williams got caught, but others will eventually be in his shoes.   

Like my bar patron analogy, all Brian Williams wanted was the respect and admiration of his colleagues and audience. Here are some others who told lies for similar reasons:

Ronald Reagan-yes him, St. Republican himself.  Personally, I am sick to death of conservatives referring to Reagan as if he walked on water back in the '80s.  Reportedly, the man was senile for half of his presidency and his wife used astrologists to help her plan out her day.  One of his most famous lies was told back in 1983.  He claimed that he was an army photographer who filmed a Nazi death camp while visiting the prime minister of Israel.  He told another version of this tale to Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal.  Reagan never left the country during World War II.  

Manti Teo, the Notre Dame football player:  This is probably my favorite of high profile lies.  I think he told the world about his fake, dead girlfriend for public sympathy and fame.  His fictional girlfriend either died in a car crash or from cancer.  It was later found that this woman did not even exist.  

Hillary Clinton:  She told a tall tale about ducking from sniper fire when she visited Bosnia in 1996 when she was the 1st Lady.  Her tall tales are few compared to other leading male politicians, but she does excel in the art of omission when asked about her marriage, Benghazi, and her feelings toward the Obama administration.

Jayson Blair: He was a former New York Times news reporter who resigned after allegations of plagiarism and fabrication.  According to Blair, he was scrutinized because of his race.

Charlie Sheen: He bragged about curing his cocaine and alcohol addiction because of his DNA that derived from Adonis and tiger blood.  He also bragged about all of the women he's been with-that might actually be true.

James Frey: He wrote Million Little Pieces.  The book was supposedly a memoir about his tough times as an alcoholic and drug addict.  He wound up on the Oprah show talking up his personal hell and how he got out of it. James was caught embellishing his past after selling millions of copies.

Geraldo Rivera: Fox journalist who supposedly had his nose broken during a skinhead tussle on his talk show during the 1980s.  This incident got him mass publicity.  Although never proven, many questioned the legitimacy of the show.  Some thought the fight was rehearsed and his broken nose was a hoax.  We'll never know.....

Barack Obama: This president, as all presidents, has been caught in many lies.  Most of his lies are made to avoid hard truths rather than bragging.  He recently bragged that his policies are turning the economy around, giving people affordable healthcare, and reducing the deficit-all of which can be argued to be false statements.  
Barack doesn't quite fit the Brian Williams profile, but many feel he has something to hide.  Many believe his Hawaiian birth certificate is a forgery and his fancy education (Columbia and then Harvard Law School) never happened.  His transcripts are "sealed" and the public has yet to see them.  Obama also claims to be a Christian for political reasons, but others believe he is a Muslim.  His "real" name is rumored to be Barry Soetaro. Who knows if any of this is true.

What is your favorite celebrity lie?  Leave a comment.