It's accepted that politicians are prone to stretching the truth, particularly during election campaigns. But a recent flip-flop by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels might just set a new standard for "say one thing, do another" political hypocrisy.

As reported by the Associated Press, Daniels campaigned last fall on a pledge that he would not cut state employee jobs in favor of private contractors. His campaign even handed out fliers with the crystal-clear headline: "State Workers Will Not Lose Their Jobs Due to Privatization." Yet, in a classic bait and switch, the governor already has introduced several privatization initiatives, at least one of which has brought job cuts, with more expected. The AP reports that the for-profit company now providing prison food service hired only about 130 of the 336 state employees previously employed in those positions.

What's the governor's explanation for his sudden reversal? "Somebody made a statement broader than anything I had ever said," Daniels stated, thus ensuring that no one would ever confuse him with Harry Truman.

Perhaps public employees shouldn't be too surprised by Daniels' mistreatment of workers. On his first day in office, he rescinded collective bargaining rights for thousands of state workers, voiding contracts that had been in place for years. There's no mistaking now that Gov. Daniels is no friend of public employees -- or, for that matter, the truth.

At the polls in 2008, Hoosiers would be wise to heed an old saying: “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” For most people, but not for everyone, that's an easy saying to remember.