By Michael Podwill

We used to be taught that it’s right to tell the truth and wrong to tell a lie.

However, in the Bizzaro World of Obama, his lathered supporters and his media darlings, everything is backwards. So it’s a sin to tell the truth — if you’re Mitt Romney. But it’s still ok to lie like a rug if you’re Mr. Obama. In fact, it’s expected. Even those who auger change for the rest of us can’t necessarily change their own mendacious ways — especially when mendacity (see Alinsky, Saul, The Life & Times, for details) is what got you there in the first place.

Obama’s latest lies are whoppers. As in deadly. Like the one about the consulate in Benghazi having adequate defense on hand prior to that murderous military assault by “random protesters.” They’re the good natured tykes who obviously treat their rocket-propelled grenade launchers like American Express Cards — they don’t leave home without them.

Obama, Clinton & Co. get scant attention — and almost no criticism at all — for their negligent, naive, arrogant words and deeds, the result of which have left four Americans, including an ambassador, dead and debased. What’s more, our embassies throughout the region, housed amongst Obama’s dear and peaceful Muslim “friends,” are looking like war zones. The only US embassy in the Middle East that’s safe and secure at this point is the one in Israel, which happens to be the only Mideast country that Obama has scorned, isolated and hung out to dry like a sworn enemy (more shades of the Bizzaro world?).

Meanwhile, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney tells the truth on two occasions — and he’s vilified to the high heavens.

Last week, after the heinous attacks in Benghazi and at the US Embassy in Cairo (besides Tunis, Sana et al), Romney dared to criticize an administration that has continuously apologized, appeased and, in the process, all but invited such ugly hateful “death to America” violence at every turn. The message to the murderous thugs is clear: We’re so sorry you had to vent your rage at that evil video by killing and abusing Ambassador Stevens and three other ugly Americans. How can we ever make it up to you?

Isn’t it odd? No one questions Obama’s dangerously inept policies, nor his audacious excuses after the fact. But everyone carps on Romney for stepping out of line — by telling the truth.

Now, Romney is picked up by a hidden camera. He’s caught making the candid observation that 47% of Americans don’t pay a federal tax, and that millions of Americans currently stand dependent upon government support through food stamps, welfare, unemployment checks and the like. Sad, yes. But is it all not true? Is it not, perhaps, more evidence of Obama’s failed promise to bring us back to some sort of economic health?

Saddest is this: We condone and venerate an administration that continues on its hapless, plan-less, clueless, truth-less and ultimately devious way — whether it comes to failure at revving up a moribund economy or failure at providing a modicum of defense for our people in consulates or embassies stuck in the world’s worst neighborhoods. But we scorn forever a political aspirant who is guilty of…speaking the truth.

Shame on Romney for being unaware of a camera’s presence when he dared to talk about those vaunted 47%. He would have been on much safer ground had he merely whispered,  ”off the record,” to Russian president Medvedev, to wait until after the election, when he has a lot more “flexibility.”

Maybe that’s Romney’s problem; he’s not agile enough. Nor, alas, is he Bizzaro material.

Michael Podwill’s Viewpoints appear in The DC Post on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He is a freelance writer and a creative marketing/advertising consultant. He can be reached at mpodwill@aol.com or on Twitter @Michaelpodwill.