I don't understand why politicians have such a difficult time admitting that they are wrong. They are not gods among men; they are still human and as such, they are just as capable of making mistakes and saying something that isn't quite factual. It's one thing to be wrong; it's a completely different matter to refuse to admit it.
Take Sarah Palin and her Paul Revere gaffe a couple of months ago. Getting one's history mixed up can be a bit embarrassing, but it's not unheard of. If Palin had just admitted her mistake and said what she actually meant, it probably would have been something for liberals to mock for a little while, but at least she would be able to show that she was willing to confront her errors and fix them. Instead she decided to stand by her obviously wrong statement, which unfortunately makes her appear stubborn.
Palin's unwillingness to admit that she was wrong also makes her look extremely arrogant, especially when historians began correcting her mistake. Despite the input of many scholars to the contrary, Palin refused to back off her statement, instead suggesting that these academics, who have dedicated their lives to the study of history, didn't know Paul Revere quite as well as old Mama Grizzly.
Members from all over the political spectrum are guilty of this behavior, and quite honestly, I am fed up with it. People learn from their mistakes, and by refusing to admit that they make them, politicians are essentially saying that they have nothing left to learn. In this era, when we are learning new things about ourselves and the world around us every day, it seems rather foolish to pretend that one is perfect and incapable of error. Am I right?
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