You know, I can take Mitt Romney changing positions on major issues like immigration, abortion, and health care between his time as governor and presidential candidate. One could even give him the benefit of the doubt and believe that he’s really changed his mind, as Ronald Reagan did during his own ideological transition. At the very least the opportunism would be tolerable, seeing as how the nation is ready for conservative governance and were Romney to change again after the election he’d be hurting himself politically.

But what I refuse to countenance are the lies. He insists he’s always been anti-amnesty, that his record on abortion is not to be questioned, that you can totally justify opposition to ObamaCare while praising RomneyCare, and even that he never uttered a single demeaning word towards the Ponzi scheme we know as Social Security. Edits to his book? He’s never heard of it. Illegal aliens working at his mansion? Surely you must have your sources wrong. Your sources are countless videos, news stories, enacted laws, and his previous campaign pledges? Balderdash, you’re just misrepresenting him.

He would tell you 2+2=6, and if you questioned his calculation he would try to portray you as a crazy and ill-informed. And that’s what I can’t stand: The sheer audacity of his lies.

We don’t need another president who lies through his teeth. We already have one. Barack Obama will tell you with a straight face that you spend your way out of debt, raise taxes to spur economic growth, and cut health care costs by covering another 30 million people. And if you disagree you must be lying or stupid. Which is why he annoys me more than most Democratic politicians.

I can respect folks like Russ Feingold, who hold a certain position and admit to it. I’ll disagree and fight against their cause, but I can respect the disagreement. What I can’t respect is someone pissing on my foot, calling it rain, and then questioning my integrity or intelligence when I disagree. Both Romney and Obama have a nasty habit of doing just that.

Romney make think he’ll be the eventual nominee, and he’s probably right. And he probably figures folks like myself will vote for him in the general because the alternative — four more years of Obama — is too much to stomach. And again he’d be right. But the more he lies during the nominating process the more folks like myself will fight him to the last minute — if for no other reason than spite. Unless he wants to enter the primary bloodied and with his own party’s base angry at him, he should stop with the lies and start with the honesty.