You’ve probably heard by now that Lance Armstrong has finally admitted to the world (via Oprah, no less) that he has been doping for years.  Shocking.  I wish there was a way to easily express droll non-surprise in words.

I could’t care less about Armstrong’s taking of drugs to give himself the edge in a pointless sport where everyone is also using the same drugs.  I also couldn’t care less about lying about it for years.  Lying is what humans do and no one is immune to it.  What makes Lance Armstrong the worst person in the world is the vicious campaign of smears and intimidation that he initiated to protect his lies.  What kind of sick person does that?

And please don’t try to whitewash how horrible Armstrong is by pointing to all the great things he did for cancer through his cancer foundation.  First, his foundation is mostly about raising money and little actually goes to cancer research.  Second, he used his cancer status and his foundation as a shield and a weapon against anyone who would dare do a simple thing like speak the truth against him.  Third, the amount of good you do does not justify the evil you cause while doing it.  Drug dealers build playgrounds.  Financial swindlers donate to charity. Koch brothers fund science research.

Sadly, what Armstrong does is all too common.  He just takes a page from an everyday political playbook.  Want to protect your financial interests?  Attack climate scientists with misinformation and lies.  Want to promote your religion?  Attack those who teach and promote evolution.  The more I see, the more I pay attention, the more I believe that any person in any seat of power is a complete sociopath.