There is a big difference between connecting the dots to discern a pattern and connecting them to impose a pattern. It is the action of intelligence to discern a pattern, it is the action of a paranoid to impose one.
Theres this house in a run down neighborhood. Could be a crack house. People coming in and out all hours of the day and night. Unsavory characters, mostly. Maybe the house is rented by the firm Drugs 'R Us. Very suspicious.
Put it under surveillance, send in a snitch, all that sort of thing is reasonable. Lobbing a couple of grenades through the window and letting God sort 'em out is not.
"U.S. forces acting on an intelligence tip raided an abandoned Baghdad community hall early Saturday and seized documents that may contain information about Iraq’s suspected weapons of mass destruction. "
Really now, Mr. President, isn’t that precisely the problem. You kept telling us Iraq was a threat to our nation, but it turns out you were apparently full of shit. Where’s the fucking threat, Mr. President?
If they find nothing you will of course crow with glee. Now your setting yourself up to be safe in case they do find something by generating a criteria to dismiss it before the fact.
Naughty. Naughty.
Dammit man take a stand, and get off the fence for once before that post gets lodged in your ass permanently!
Actually, Scylla, elucidator is predicting the next steps Bush will take pretty well. See, the reason it is confusing is that Bush is backpedalling. You have to turn it around when Bush is moving backwards so fast. elucidator is not at all hedging his bets, Bush is. elucidator is just predicting which hedge Bush is going to try to hide behind next.
“If there’s a Bush-o in your hedgerow, don’t be alarmed now. It’s just a spring clean for the Cheney.”
I was sort of joking in your last post. In seriousness, I guess I don’t understand how one could not comprehend elucidator’s prediction. Certainly, he can explain it better than I, but his prediction was that Bush, having failed to find WMD as promised, and beginning to lower the bar for himself (ala WMD program rather than the actual bad boys in person), would start announcing that documents have been found.
In fact, yes, one need only scroll up to 6/20 and all should be revealed.
[quote]
Scylla will have his wish, you can bet on it. The bar has been lowered, once again, to a point where it need only be fallen upon. For now, we are looking for a weapons “program”. Ah, yes. A “program”. Given the rigorous standards of the Usual Suspects, what could possibly allay thier skepticism? Damn near anything. Documents for instance.**
Low and behold, there comes a pronouncement that documents were found. Too bad Blair hadn’t warned us that they could have their documents ready in 45 minutes. Perhaps we need a space based strategic shredder initiative. Smart highlighters; brilliant white out. Get the Xerox inspection team in there pronto.
So how is accurately predicting “How low can Bush go?” hedging one’s bets?
$250,000, lying on the table, waiting for someone to walk in and tell us where the warehouse full of SCUD missiles loaded with nuclear anthrax is located. “On the corner of Saddam Street and Uday Blvd.” and walk away with a fortune.
And no takers. None. Gee, Scylla, why is that? Iraqis dont like money? Not one? Its been a couple months now.
So now we’re looking for a “program”. Documents. Documents can be faked far more easily that physical facts, i.e., actual weapons. Now we have signalled that Uncle Sam will smile most benignly on someone who can come up with documents, with the assurance that they will not be examined too closely.
Looking for a tip-off? If I were to guess, I’d say something like the documents finger someone who knows exactly where the dreaded WMDs are located, someone who can lead us right to the very spot in the Godforsaken Desert where they are buried.
I’m sorry if it’s already been pointed out, but didn’t Bush give us a big (revisionist) song and dance about how America has never fought a war of conquest?
