Keller @ Large: Why It's Important To Tell The Truth

BOSTON (CBS) - OK, I promise, this will be the last time I'll talk about the Olympics for a long time, if not forever.

But after a couple of days of fallout from the death of Boston's 2024 bid, we are reminded more than ever of the importance of telling the truth.

The original Boston organizers didn't do that, and it got them in trouble.

Last Friday's release of withheld portions of the document that convinced the US Olympic Committee to pick us disclosed some real whoppers, including the claim that Bostonians were wildly enthusiastic about hosting the games, that all sorts of venue hosts were on board who hadn't even been contacted, and so on.

Thomas Bach, the head of the International Olympic Committee, is quoted saying "Boston did not deliver on promises they made to the USOC when they were selected," and that is undeniably true.

But Bach ought to know about untruths. His entire organization is based on them.

Bach is the man behind the Olympic movement's alleged makeover from a budget-busting monolith demanding that host cities mortgage their future to pay for their bloated model of the Games to a streamlined, more reasonable approach. But their streamlining reminded me of a dieter who gives up chocolate ice cream but keeps gobbling mocha almond.

Demanding that Boston or any other city put themselves solely on the hook for potentially billions in cost overruns was unreasonable, and the fact they insisted on it made a sham of their reformism.

So in hindsight we can see that Boston 2024 saw an opportunity based on falsehoods from the Olympic bureaucracy, and responded with falsehoods of their own.

It's hard to tell the truth sometimes.

But we can all see where the alternative leads.

Listen to Jon's commentary:

You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.