when does one start looking like he doesn't know what he's talking about when the person continues to hold the line on his lie?

President Obama refuted Romney's tax lie many times, yet Romney continually lied that what the President was saying wasn't true. If President Obama kept stating the opposite, how does that look to people? To me it looks like the President doesn't have HIS facts straight because Romney was lying with such conviction. The only way he could have possibly won that exchange, or any other that Romney insisted using lies to refute his original position is to state, bluntly, that Romney was lying. For some reason, that's seen as bad politics... to call a liar a liar but it's the only way he could have derailed Mittens, IMO. Guaranteed, had he done that, we'd have been happy but many others wouldn't have been.

first time

You don't have to directly call someone a liar to point out their contradictions and lies

politics like a court trial? Are you saying Obama is the DEFENDANT?

such as currently holding the contested office, voters and those who hire you want to have faith that you are being 'fair'.

And yes, Obama is a defendant in the figurative sense - defending against Romney's charges against him. That's how he has to play his cards.

You disagree?

Clinton, the front runner, was losing steam before the NY primary and Jerry Brown was making a serious move to overtake him. However, he started almost snarling and yelling and turned into a histrionic attack dog. Also starting about a flat tax. He never recovered from that performance.

would have bought Obama a lot of mileage.