“CIA More Fully Denies Deception About Iraq” – in today’s Washington Post.
The subhead should have read: “This Time We Are Not Lying Like Weasels – We Swear!”
The Post article on the CIA’s reaction to Ron Suskind’s revelations included this tidbit from the CIA’s prepared statement:
“To state what should be obvious, it is not the policy or practice of this Agency to violate American law.”
Obvious perhaps to some of the bootlickers in the DC press corps.
Ugh! Why do the sheeple buy the ‘obvious’ lines? I forgot the literary term for it, but there is a tool demagogues and liars use for these types of usages. Words like “It’s obvious that…[insert lie]”, “Everybody knows…[insert lie]”, “It’s self-evident that…[insert lie]”. It makes the sheeple feel that they are in a minority of not knowing something they should believe in, without asking questions. Now the CIA is using this (not surprised, actually), and the idiot DC journalists pretend to believe and publish it. An intelligence agency is supposed to be intelligent! The irony of the names many of the world’s “agencies” and “offices” is shocking, but sadly humorous!
I think the term you mean is “artistic license”. I’ll add one more to your list of examples. “We are all Georgians”, said by that great “foreign policy expert” John McCain.
And this as well. Doug Feith, a person I believe was involved in this up to his eyeballs.
“CIA More Fully Denies Deception About Iraq”. Article ‘REDACTED’!
Chimp:”We do not torture.” Speaking about ‘artistic license’…
Why do the “sheeple” buy the obvious lines, AJ? Because far too many of them still place their full faith and confidence in the System. But I feel something will sooner or later shatter most folks’ confidence and leave them disillusioned and angry and ready for change. Exactly what, I don’t know, but it may be a combination of military defeat overseas and economic collapse at home.
I hope you’re right, Paul. Sadly, a quick gander at the historical record would seem to indicate that the worse things get, the louder and more fervently the “sheeple” cry out for the State to save them, no matter how manifestly said state has failed them repeatedly in the past.
“To state what should be obvious, it is not the policy or practice of this Agency to violate American law.â€
I love it: “It’s not our policy to do that. We do it, yes; but it’s not our *policy* to do it….”
To be fair, it would be worse if they claimed that ipso facto they didn’t violate the law… Kind of like Ahmedinijad saying that there are no gays in Iran b/c Iranians aren’t gay. Also, it is probably better than them ponying up and saying “Of course we violate the law, and there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it!”
AJ, it is one of the simplest logical fallacies, and one of the easiest to see through even with no training in logic or rhetoric:
Bare Assertion:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bare_assertion_fallacy
Methinks they doth protest too much about their innocence.
Just off subject for a minute.
I have just heard on our nationwide broadcaster, (Australian Broadcasting Commission) that there has been “a surge of support” for McCain since the naming of Obama’s running mate for the Nov. election! Crap media or is this correct?
Can’t believe your voters could be that stupid again!!
The ability to think will improve after the nuclear exchange with Mother Russia, to those who survive of course.
Crap media or is this correct?
Can’t believe your voters could be that stupid again!!
AJ:
To paraphrase the incomparable H.L. Mencken, no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American voter. That said, I’ll risk the wrath of our fellow AWC readers here by stating that one cannot seriously entertain the idea of intelligence being a trait among people who would willingly –nay, eagerly– participate in a farce so blatantly rigged and pointless as national elections.
So, to answer your question directly, not only is it almost inevitable that “our” voters will display their characteristic stupidity again, it has very likely worsened to the point where they’ll elect a megalomaniac warmonger who is showing signs of senile dementia (hmm, didn’t they do that twice already, once in 1980 and again in 1984?). As the late, great Frank Zappa is quoted as saying: “It’s not getting any smarter out there. You have to come to terms with stupidity, and make it work for you.”
JC,
I have not heard this, nor would it make any sense. There has been no surge of support for McCain, except in the wishes of the MSM who are itching for a close and “exciting” political race (i.e. bread and circuses). THE MSM will do anything to tighten the race up as soon as one candidate falls behind in the polls.
It’s like boxing promoters trying to get folks to buy the lame product they’re selling.
dissembling, non-denial denial…There was the recent CIA non-denial denial by CIA of charges in Ron Suskind’s book about anthrax case. “No one in my chain of command ordered that” Ok, so someone down the hall ordered it.