I find it interesting to compare the lawyer's duty to tell the truth to similar duties imposed on other professionals. In the Susan B. Anthony List v. Driehaus case, which deals with a statute banning falsehoods in political campaigns, a humorist (PJ O'Rourke) and a fellow from the Cato Institute (Ilya Shapiro) have filed a funny and clever amicus brief asserting that it's important that people be allowed to be less than 100% truthful in that context. This excerpt is from the Introduction:
“I am not a crook.”
“Read my lips: no new taxes!”
“I did not have sexual relations with that woman.”
“Mission accomplished.”
“If you like your healthcare plan, you can keep it.”
While George Washington may have been incapable of telling a lie, his successors have not had the same integrity. The campaign promise (and its subsequent violation), as well as disparaging statements about one’s opponent (whether true, mostly true, mostly not true, or entirely fantastic) are cornerstones of American democracy.