 The episode received positive reviews from television critics . DVD Movie Guide 's Colin Jacobson lauded it for the focus on Lisa , commenting that " Lisa @-@ centered episodes tend to be preachy , but I suppose that ’ s inevitable given her character . I like the fact Lisa takes the high road here , though , as she proves she doesn ’ t always have to be right . Homer ’ s turn as the town crier brings mirth to a solid show . " In addition , John Alberti praised the episode in his book Leaving Springfield as " an especially cromulent example of the narrative fissuring and disruptive disclosure ... Lisa spends the entire episode uncovering the truth about Jebediah and courageously defending her findings against a phalanx of authority figures ... a symbol of honesty , integrity , and courage . All in all , a spectacular episode revealing the truth behind our society . " The authors of the book I Can 't Believe It 's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide , Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood , thought it was a " clever " episode , and highlighted Lisa 's fantasy of the fight between Springfeld and George Washington as " fantastic " . Dave Foster of DVD Times thought Sutherland offered a " memorable " guest appearance . Total Film 's Nathan Ditum ranked Sutherland 's performance as the 14th best guest appearance in the show 's history . Michael Moran of The Times ranked the episode as the eighth best in the show 's history . 
