Let's Call It What It Is (Or At Least What We Think It Is)

I was in my War & Law class today and a student stated as a given that the Bush administration blatantly lied about Weapons of Mass Destruction as cause for going to war with Iraq.

My response now to her (it was considerably abbreviated in class):

(1) It is one thing to say that the administration drew an incorrect inference from the available facts. (Mistake)

(2) It is another to say it drew an improper inference. (Negligent Mistake)

(3) Furthermore, it’s a whole new ball game to say that they in fact drew the proper inference but then lied about it. (Deliberate Deceit)

So far, only (1) has been proved. Moreover it is only one’s opinion, and a rather vindictive and unfounded one at that, to state (3) without further evidence. In fact, (3) draws on a whole different set of facts not evidence that moves beyond what is necessary for deciding (1) or (2) since it requires evidence of a state of mind on the part of the decisionmakers that has itself only been made by inference.

Finally, if (2) is true, then most of the world did so as well, because there was almost complete unanimity at the time the decision was made that the inference was a valid one.

The underlying question – that if indeed Iraq did have weapons of mass destruction, the war would have been justified – seems to have been lost in the political posturing.

Let’s make sure we mean what we say, huh?

Greater Love Hath No Woman . . .

So my girlfriend decides to buy me a new shower curtain, purchase grout spray and spend Saturday morning cleaning my shower. I truly have no words.