The sad story of 'Lyin' Brian'

Here's a scene from the upcoming movie, "Was A Wonderful Life."

Scene 1: Heaven (two stars highlighted in a cosmic portrait).

GOD: There are a lot of people praying for a man named Brian Williams. He seems to have lost his way. Joseph, we'll have to send someone down.

JOSEPH: I've got just the right angel. Walter Cronkite. He'll kick Brian's butt and straighten him out.

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What can NBC do with tarnished anchorman Brian Williams once his six month suspension without pay is over? I think we might see him as the network's new Antarctica correspondent, doing features on penguins and snow melt research.

Do you seriously think a man now referred to as "Lyin' Brian," a national punchline, can ever return to anchoring a national newscast?

Several news sources, most prominently Politico, have indicated that Tom Brokaw, arguably the most trusted anchorman in America following the retirement of Walter Cronkite, knew that Williams was not in a helicopter that took on enemy fire in Iraq in 2003.

But Williams had already been designated as Brokaw's successor, and Brokaw knew it might be construed as sour grapes if he called out Williams on his exaggeration. He did share his concern privately with the president of NBC News.

But the network was spending tons of money to promote Williams' anchor ascendency. The decision was made just to keep quiet. Williams was allowed to spin his "war story" and it went unchallenged for 12 years.

Then the helicopter pilot came forward this year, telling Williams, "You weren't there." Social media took the story from there.

Rob Wyse, in an essay posted on the career social media site LinkedIn, said what happened to Williams is akin to some prominent CEOs who've been caught padding their resumes. He said a 2002 analysis of 7,000 executive resumes showed 23 percent contained exaggerated accomplishments.

You might remember some of the news stories about chief executives who lost their jobs when it was discovered they didn't actually have the college degrees they listed on their resumes. Witnessing what happened in these cases has not stopped others from continuing to float bogus accomplishments.

"If you tell yourself a lie long enough," Wyse wrote, "you begin to believe your own lie." Hubris is extreme pride or self-confidence. It is a Greek term.

When hubris offended the gods of ancient Greece, they found a way to punish the egotistical offender. The modern equivalent of such punishment has been visited upon Brian Williams.