*Russia speaks total lies. That doesn’t diminish America’s half-truths.*

However, the article's real point is that a government that speaks half-truths can sometimes be your only protection from the total lies.

Matt Taibbi apologizes for the error that blinded him to how horrible a deed Putin would do. He had become "so fixated on western misbehavior" that he didn't realize that the west's enemies could be worse.