Speak Truth to Power? How about Speaking Lies to Stay in Power?

The phrase "speak truth to power" is bantered about in the media often these days.
Yet it seems that there are just not enough people out there to speak the truth. To look for someone speaking lies, just turn on the TV set. There's GW Bush and his cronies like Alberto Gonzales and Condi Rice, of course, but also Larry Craig. Religious figures like Ted Haggard join the list. Even outside the realm of politics and religion, we have sports figures such as Marion Jones, and Floyd Landis.
All are liars, portraying a facade that says one thing while behaving in opposite, often unlawful ways.
What kind of message does this send? Are we as a nation turning into a country of pathologic liars? Are our so-called leaders telling us that it's okay to lie, and even if you're caught, lie some more and hire a good lawyer?
We are a country filled with those who will speak lies to stay in power.
What the Gadfly would propose is to institute harsher punishments for lying. Anyone caught making willfully deceitful claims in order to maintain power, privilege, or trophies, will be punished with the force of the law.
In effect, we need a war on lies.
Once, in a bygone era of this country, Republicans made a huge deal about Bill Clinton's lie about having oral sex with Monica Lewinsky. They hounded Clinton like rabid dogs. We should distill the essence of the Republican fervor against Clinton's lie and unleash it throughout this country, including against the current administration, even those who have already left in disgrace over the weight of lies.
The day we disgrace the liars is the day we can begin speaking truth to power, without the lies drowning out a meager word of truth.