Bob Somerby declines
If any of you were planning on writing Bob Somerby about judging my $200 for Proof Joe Wilson Lied competition, please stop. In recent e-mail, he declined my offer. In earlier e-mail which he has given me permission to quote in full, he offered the following comments. I will add no interpretations, out of my sincere respect for him. It has been edited only very lightly for formatting and to avoid HTML-related glitches at blogspot.
From: "Bob Somerby" [bobsomerby@hotmail.com]
To: [leap@gol.com]
Sent: Friday, July 23, 2004 3:13 AM
Subject: RE: Did Joe Wilson lie? I'm running a contest
I'm unaware of any "lie." As I often note, professional communicators almost never lie. There is no need to do so.
I think Wilson has been very weak on the facts and the logic of his case, and he has a large instinct to overstate.
Basically, his problem all comes down to one simple fact. He doesn't know if Iraq sought uranium, and he's never been able to grasp that basic fact. Result? Last week, Lord Butler said, "I've looked at the intel, and the intel is good." What is Wilson supposed to say? He doesn't know what's in it! The logic of the situation has always been there, but last week it started to bite him.
1 Comments:
I have in my hot little hands statements:
"John Kerry is a lazy, good-for-nothing gigolo who's secretly planning to hand over US sovereigny to the UN on January 21, 2005.
Not only that, his administration is full of burglars! And John Kerry and John Edwards both are guilty of stealing!"
Now - prove there are lies. Prove I am lying.
Given your impossibly high standards of what a 'lie is', you can't.
After all, maybe he is, maybe he's not.
Who are we really to know? And even if he's 100% not quilty of the allegations, you cant *prove* I really dont believe this. Maybe I do and I am just mistaken.
That's the level your setting it as.
If you have a 'beyond a reasonable doubt' standard on lying, then discount facts surrounding someone's mentality, you've created an impossible standard.
Now, truly, Wilson has slandered the Bush administration with statement after statement that was not only false, but which Wilson knew was false.
"He doesn't know if Iraq sought uranium, and he's never been able to grasp that basic fact. Result? Last week, Lord Butler said, "I've looked at the intel, and the intel is good." What is Wilson supposed to say?"
Wilson, if he had honor, would publicly apologize and go back to railing against his enemies in private.
http:/freedomstruth.blogspot.com
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