WHAT ELABORATE LIES THEY WEAVE!

The Abu Ghraib torture scandal had just popped open into the public, and the Bush administration needed a distraction ... QUICK! So they created a huge lie to turn Pat Tillman into a hero of Afghanistan, covering up the fact that he was actually killed by friendly fire. Pat's brother Kevin testified yesterday to a House oversight committee (novel thing, this oversight!), and he certainly GETS IT:

The U.S. Army fabricated a story of his brother's heroism in action, knowing he was killed by friendly fire, Tillman said. They constructed not only a story of combat action -- accompanied by a silver medal -- but lied about his medical care… "These are deliberate and calculated lies" and "a deliberate act of deceit," Tillman said.

With his voice shaking, Tillman, who also served in the Army, said the official account of his brother's death in 2004 was "utter fiction … intended to deceive the family and more importantly the American people."

Jessica Lynch's fabricated heroism came before Abu Ghraib but was no less a lie ... that she bravely fought until captured. She never fired her gun, Lynch told the committee yesterday. "The bottom line is the American people are capable of determining their own ideals of heroes and they don't need to be told elaborate tales," Lynch said.