When senior Obama campaign advisor Stephanie Cutter told the media she was unaware of the details of the false and misleading story retired steelworker Joe Soptic told in the now infamous Priorities USA super PAC ad -- she lied. Period. End of story. We have her on tape just a few months ago thanking Soptic for telling the exact same story on a Obama campaign conference call.

Moreover, when Obama campaign advisor Robert Gibbs and press spokesman Jen Psaki also claimed ignorance about the details of Soptic's story, that also stretched what we have since learned is the truth. 

Obama's had a pretty great six weeks. He's pulling away from Romney in the polls and, other than a few days of "you didn’t build that," Team Obama has kept Romney on defense by smothering him in nonsense and outright lies. Tactically, Obama is running a brilliant and effective campaign, no question about it.

There's also no question in my mind that the releasing of an ad that blames Romney for the death of Mr. Soptic's wife was meant to be yet another act of audacity from Team Obama, meant to distract from the economy, smother Romney's message, and keep him on defense.

In that respect, the ad was brilliant.

But being caught lying risks something that the Obama campaign and his media allies are desperate to avoid, and that's putting Obama on defense and dinging the favorability ratings that have kept him in the lead despite his failed record.