I’m Wolf Blitzer, period!

“Hello, I’m Wolf Blitzer, and this is the Situation Room.”

But, it wasn’t.

It was Jake Tapper opening his news program, The Lead, on Monday.

He wanted to give his viewers an example of “alternative facts.”

Tapper’s opening was in response to an uproar over the weekend. Sean Spicer, President Donald Trump’s press secretary, excoriated the media for reports on the turnout at Trump’s inauguration. Spicer claimed that it was the most attended and watched inauguration in history, “period.”

That is an obvious falsehood, and Spicer was called on it.

Then, Kellyann Conway, Trump’s ever-smiling shill and former campaign manager, came to Spicer’s defense. He was just using “alternative facts,” she said.

Alternative facts may have been what inspired George Orwell to write his novel, 1984.

“Alternative facts” are not new. They are just not so openly acknowledged. More often they are called falsehoods, untruths or simply lies. The euphemism sounds better, but makes them no more truthful.

The media are incensed and not letting go of it. Statements made and then denied marked the campaign. Recording after recording and tweet after tweet were blatantly denied despite being on the record. Alternative facts plagued the campaign, although until now nobody had a euphemism for them.

Yet, Conway may have done the country a great service. Now there is a new name for lies. It may go down in presidential lexicon along with such memorable tidbits as expletive deleted, no new taxes, lock box and what is is.

More important, such casual denial of the truth may alarm many Americans and put some on guard against other alternative facts that are foisted on the country.

For that, Conway’s description may be of more importance than just its entertainment value.

Gordon Forgey

Publisher