A sure-fire way to tell when someone is lying: A lot of noisy outrage while never denying the charge outright. That's what happened yesterday over and over again during the debate between Jack Conway and Rand Paul. While there were many memorable moments, the one above was one of the best, because it set the tone for the entire debate.

Jack Conway is one of the most unflappable debaters I've ever seen. He started out by very calmly pointing out in his opening statement that this is an election about values as much as it is about crime and the economy, and as such, Rand Paul should be held to account for his actions earlier in his life. Conway asked the question about why Paul thought it was all right to join a group condemned by the Baylor dean for holding views, and when it would be all right to tie a woman up and force her to pray to the Aqua Buddha.

Suffice it to say, that just rattled Rand Paul right out of the gate. There were two ways he could have handled this that would have been better. If it happened, he could simply have said "yes, it was stupid, I was in college, and college students don't always make good judgments', or if it didn't happen, he could simply have denied it outright, saying it never happened.

Instead, what we get is Rand Paul accusing Jack Conway of lying, of being outrageous, accusing the victim of lying while acknowledging that there is indeed a victim. It's quite a study in how to lie badly. Anyone who has raised a teenager sees right through Paul's response. Faux outrage; martyred victimhood.

It's the Republican way.

(Please support Jack Conway's candidacy by giving to Blue America on his behalf if you can. Rand Paul is receiving donations from all over the country and flooding Kentucky with negative ads -- Conway can use all the help we can give him.)

Bonus: Jack Conway's Aqua Buddha ad, which will send an interesting ripple across moral conservatives in Kentucky

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