The Associated Press reports that Representative Jim Gibbons (R-NV), who is running for governor in Nevada, is willing to take a polygraph test to prove that he did not make a sexual advance against cocktail waitress Chrissy Mazzeo, who had earlier voiced her willingness to take a polygraph test to prove the truthfulness of her accusation. While polygraphs may make for titillating political theater, they are a poor way of determining truth in such situations. To begin with, polygraph testing has no scientific basis. Moreover, they are easily fooled through the use of simple countermeasures that polygraphers have no demonstrated ability to detect. Who’s to say whether one or both parties know the lie behind the lie detector?