JACK SHAFER IN POLITICO: Why Did Brian Williams Lie? He’s the one viewers are supposed to trust every night. “Brian Williams might not be working as a shoe-leather reporter, but he’s as much a journalist as any newspaper rewrite-man. Journalists are paid to be more vigilant than civilians about the stories they tell. Millions listen to Williams because he’s sold himself as a truth-teller, not a fabulist. We expect the truth from him, whether he’s reading a human-interest piece into NBC’s cameras or recounting personal war stories on Dave Letterman’s show.”

He lied for the same reason a dog licks itself — because he can. And he figured he’d get away for it because his fellow journos would cover for him. And plenty are. Kudos to Shafer for making the key point.