Heading into the homestretch of this presidential election, both parties are frantically crunching and crafting the economic numbers to suit their candidate.

It's quite impressive how two campaigns can look at the same data and put a favorable spin on them to try and sway those undecided voters. With the two conventions now history, both sides succeeded in putting on their best face. These party pep rallies are used to pump up the likability ratings, something the Obama campaign thrived on in 2008 and which the Romney camp had hoped to improve on at last week's RNC convention.While Democratic strategists and some media outlets portray President Obama or Vice President Biden as regular-type guys you might like to have a beer with, playing up the cool, regular Joe personas can only take a campaign so far when people are struggling in a depressed economy. This year, voters are more tuned in to substance and credibility.When it comes down to truth-telling, there's a problem with several of the more prominent Democrats who took the stage in Charlotte this week. One was President Bill Clinton, the party's biggest hitter who placed his imprimatur on the Obama presidency.Clinton might have the stage presence to leave the party faithful swooning and misty-eyed, but many voters still have trouble accepting the words of someone who lied about his sexual misconduct while in office a denial that became the basis for the impeachment charge of perjury thus embarrassing the office and staining his legacy. It's not easy to forget the image of a president who glares into the camera, wags his finger at us, and boldly states that "I did not have sexual relations with that woman" (Monica Lewinsky).The most inspirational moment at the Democratic convention was last night's appearance by former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who returned to the political stage to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. One of the most disgusting and embarrassing episodes, meanwhile, involved Democratic Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who accompanied Giffords on stage.Earlier in the week, The Washington Examiner reported that Wasserman Shultz stated that Israel's Ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, had said that Republicans are dangerous to Israel because they criticize President Barack Obama's record. Oren immediately denied making the statement, and when confronted, Wasserman Shultz accused Examiner reporter Philip Klein of intentionally misquoting her because he represented a conservative-leaning newspaper.Klein immediately defended his story. The issue would have deadlocked into a "he said/she-said" event, disappearing from public view, had it not been for the reporter's trusty journalism tool an audio tape of the conversation which he then posted online. The tape confirmed his story and proved that the Democratic chairwoman knowingly lied.Although caught in the lie, Wasserman-Shultz has refused to apologize to Klein or to the Examiner, which not only destroys her credibility but stains the image of the Democratic Party she represents.Although it was said over a century before the age of instant communication technology, Mark Twain gave us this quote: "A lie can travel half-way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes."President Clinton, the conquering hero of this week's Democratic convention, and Debbie Wasserman Shultz, the party chairwoman, have some experience with falsehoods. Both have learned the hard way that a hole only gets deeper when you try to lie your way out of a predicament and how, through social media, the whole world will instantly know about it.By Jim Zbickjzbick@tnonline.com