Fallacies and Values
You could write an entire book on logical fallacies using examples from the Bush Administration. Case in point:
The White House sought on Monday to raise questions about the Massachusetts senator's credibility as Bush's spokesman, Scott McClellan, charged that if Kerry refused to name names "then the only alternative is that he is making it up."
Fallacy: False Dilemma
Definition:
A limited number of options (usually two) is given, while in reality there are more options. A false dilemma is an illegitimate use of the "or" operator.
Proof:
Identify the options given and show (with an example) that there is an additional option.
Example of additional option:
Kerry could refuse to name names to avoid revealing a confidence.
President Bush said on Tuesday that his Democratic rival John Kerry should back up his comments that foreign leaders want to see the Republican president defeated.
The president is asking John Kerry to betray a confidence. Apparently keeping a confidence is not high on the presidents list of values.
From Dave Letterman March 15th
"john kerry says that foreign leaders want him to be president, but that he can't name the foreign leaders. that's all right, president bush can't name them either."
thanks skippy
Comments
I am a bit astounded by this recent argument about Kerry's claims. The following statements should not be controversial to anyone:
Many important foreign leaders do not care much for Bush, including some right-wing leaders (Chirac, Putin).
Kerry, a U.S. senator and the Democratic nominee for president, is important enough to have substantive conversations with foreign leaders.
These foreign leaders would be quite angry if the details of these conversations were made public by Kerry.
Powell's glib dismissal of Kerry's claim flies in the face of these very plausible, indeed likely, notions.
Posted by: dende blogger | March 16, 2004 4:21 PM | Reply to this comment
I have no doubt that many foreign leaders would prefer Kerry as President, and some may have told him so in private. Still, it was silly of Kerry to mention this in public. It was completely foreseeable that his opponents would jump all over that claim and demand to know which leaders preferred Kerry; and Kerry would naturally be forced to keep mum, making him look like a fibber or worse. Besides, many American voters, especially the ones Kerry needs to win over if he hopes to become President, are suspicious of foreign leaders' motives. Claiming, or even implying, that Chirac or Putin would prefer him in the White House isn't a smart campaign move. In other words, the tactic was guaranteed to blow up in Kerry's face.
I dearly hope Kerry gets wise quick, or he's going to get bulldozed in November.
Posted by: anon | March 17, 2004 3:18 AM | Reply to this comment