Hillary Clinton said she misspoke.

Roger Clemens said he misremembered.

Richard Nixon once claimed he was "in ad variance with the facts."

What if each, what if all, had simply said, "I lied"?

I know those two words are strong.

But for my money, they beat the heck out of the verbal gymnastics they use essentially saying the same thing.

I guess because saying, you lied, pretty bluntly covers it, those in trouble rarely say it.

Even though what they say instead is something much dumber.

Look, we're onto you.

And we're onto the fact you were caught.

It ain't fun. It ain't pretty.

But it is. Move on.

Americans are incredibly forgiving.

Maybe it harkens back to the way we were treated as kids, even to the way we treat our own kids.

Fess up, move on.

It's not the end of the world saying you distorted an experience in this world.

I've cleverly decided myself that my career-long claims I was once a Mister Universe simply can't hold up to scrutiny, or for that matter, fact.

I move on.

Because there's only one thing Americans hate more than lying politicians.

Those who go to great lengths, and on and on and on, insisting they never lied at all.

Watch Neil Cavuto weekdays at 4 p.m. ET on "Your World with Cavuto" and send your comments to cavuto@foxnews.com