1. The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness.

2. An act or instance of such falseness.

More and more of those folks are applying it to Congress.  This latest about months-long secret negotiations to exempt members of congress and their staffs from Obamacare has gone viral in the last 48 hours and its impact could be substantial in 2014. If you missed it, here’s the story:

Congressional leaders in both parties are engaged in high-level, confidential  talks about exempting lawmakers and Capitol Hill aides from the insurance  exchanges they are mandated to join as part of President Barack Obama’s health  care overhaul, sources in both parties said.

Boehner, of course, now that it’s public, is backing away. This is from Michael Steel, one of Boehner’s PR guys:

The speaker’s objective is to spare the entire country from the ravages of the  president’s health care law. He is approached daily by American citizens,  including members of Congress and staff, who want to be freed from its mandates.  If the speaker has the opportunity to save anyone from Obamacare, he will.

I read this thusly: “I’ll work hard to exempt myself and my staff from Obamacare’s mandates, and if someone gives me the opportunity to exempt others as well, I’ll consider that too. After all, that would be the fair and honorable thing to do.”

On the other hand, I like what Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader said: “Let’s exempt the entire country from Obamacare!”

I’d like to expand the definition of hypocrisy as noted above, to add #3:

3. Congress voting for mandates for its constituents that are so unfair and costly that it then votes itself an exemption from them.