They lie because it works.

It was amusing to listen to Stephen Harper claim that prorogation had nothing to do with the grilling he was getting over Afghan detainee torture because, hey, that issue isn't even on the average Canadian's radar screen and the public just doesn't see what the big deal is. In a funny way, he's right. Of course, that's because he and the rest of his sycophantic cronies have simply been lying about the issue for so long that the public has finally bought into the lies.

Here's Exhibit A: how a documented instance of a detainee being beaten with shoes by a half dozen Afghan police conveniently morphed into a member of the Taliban being hit with a shoe.

If the public doesn't think the torture allegations are that big a deal, you can hardly blame them. When you're lied to that often and that relentlessly, chances are you'll eventually believe the lies. It's a strategy that's worked brilliantly for Stephen Harper so far.