Lance Armstrong: Can He Help the Lying?

Lance Armstrong. Seven-time Tour de France champion. Olympic medalist. Cancer research advocate. LiveStrong founder. Oh and...liar.

Lance Armstrong had a "no holds barred" interview with Oprah that aired last night. Part Two, which looks like it will be about his family, is going to air tonight. In the interview, Lance called himself a "liar," a "bully," and a "fraud." He admitted to using performance enhancing drugs in all his Tour de France wins. And he says he was "in the wrong" and "taking all the blame."

But what Lance said didn't match up to what his face and body language was showing. He showed no remorse. Every time Oprah asked him a question that took him away from his pre-planned answers, he got squirmy and said that he wasn't comfortable going down that road.

Lance is, in my opinion, one of the best liars I've ever seen. He absolutely has to have control over every situation. In the preview of tonight's Part Two, he looked like he was irritated at some of the questions about his family. That's not part of his planned narrative. I wonder if he'll answer them.

I believe 100% that he is telling the truth about using PEDs and blood transfusions and all of that. But do I believe that he's telling 100% of the truth? Not a chance. This man is the definition of a pathological liar.

So, in this time during which we're discussing mental health, is it appropriate to bring Lance into that conversation? He didn't go crazy and kill anyone, but he lied to the entire world under oath multiple times. He said last night that he "would do anything to win" and "could justify the transfusions and testosterone" use. Is this a character flaw or a brain chemistry mishap?

I think it would be fascinating to study this more, instead of just talking about Armstrong's fall from grace and what a scumbag he is. The best thing he could do right now, in my opinion, is allow himself to be studied. I think we would all have a different opinion of the interview last night if he had been hooked up to a lie detector and we were watching the test results simultaneously. I am almost positive that he lied last night. He can't help it. He controls everything around him. Even he said that last night: "I controlled every aspect of my life."

This is a fascinating story. Yes, I'm sad that he duped everyone around him. Yes, I'm angry that he lied to cancer patients. But you know, I'm more intrigued than anything else. Is what he did right? Absolutely not. But could he help it? I'm not sure...

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi