One of the underlying realities of 24-7 media and ubiquitous recording devices is that candidates for office above a certain level can't just say whatever the hell an audience wants to hear without the people who might be offended getting wind of it as well. You'd think the George Allen/Macaca incident of 2006 would have made this clear beyond a reasonable doubt.

But among others, Rep. Robin Hayes (R-NC) clearly didn't get the memo. Over the weekend, he informed attendees at a Republican rally that "liberals hate real Americans who work and achieve and believe in God." When news reports, well, reported those remarks, Hayes' staff denied them, and even accused the godless liberal news media of lying about it.

Turns out there's an audio tape showing that Hayes indeed said what he said, and now he's spluttering that he was just trying to fire up the crowd.

So who's the liar now? And who's the God-fearing "real American?" Probably not Robin Hayes, who clearly violated the Ninth Commandment, arguably twice, by bearing false witness against his fellow Americans and then lying about it.