A pattern among the Bushies: "I never said..."

[Cocoa]

and their lackeys...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/debatereferee/debate_1013.html

BUSH: Gosh, I just don't think I ever said I'm not worried about Osama bin Laden. It's kind of one of those exaggerations.



http://slate.msn.com/id/2083532/

"I don't believe anyone that I know in the administration ever said that Iraq had nuclear weapons."


http://mediamatters.org/items/200411100008

LIMBAUGH: The fact that there's no -- no relationship to Iraq and -- and 9-11 -- nobody ever said there was. You guys just believed the myth out there that was -- that was -- that was promulgated. Nobody ever said there was.


http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0123-02.htm

Danielle Pletka, an analyst at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, defended Cheney's comments, saying he referred only to a "relationship" between Iraq and Al Qaeda.
"Nobody has ever said Saddam directed Al Qaeda in attacks," Pletka said. "But it is clear that had he decided to do so at any point it would have been easy."



http://bushpresident2004.com/debates.htm

GLORIA BORGER: "Well, let's get to Mohamed Atta for a minute because you mentioned him as well. You have said in the past that it was, quote, 'pretty well confirmed.'"

CHENEY: "No, I never said that."



http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/03/07/25_condi.html

"He's trying to acquire nuclear weapons. Nobody ever said that it was going to be the next year."
- Condoleeza Rice in PBS interview, 7/30/03

[Straight Shooter]

1. I've seen that same pattern on a diamondback rattler

Except the rattler is more trustworthy.

[kcass1954]

2. With the rattler, you know you're going to get bit.

But with the rest of the slime, all you know is that somehow you're going to get fucked. You just don't know how yet!

[signmike]

3. Completely different from Reagan's excuses...

"I don't remember"

"I may have misspoke myself"

"I'm not sure if I remember saying that"

[Cocoa]

5. or the Gipper classic

"I know in my heart we didn't trade arms for hostages, but the facts tell me otherwise."

:wtf:

[izzybeans]

4. Another one but probably related

is their nihilistic rhetorical strategy of pointing out the uncertainties of any situation that didn't fit their model of the world. It's the ultimate way to avoid responsbility for anything. "Well we just couldn't have expected that?" or "sometimes things are just difficult. I work hard. I mean it's hard work...I mean it's hard figurin' stuff out" or something else like it. The most famous one being Rummies known unkowns and unknown-unknowns bs.

[aden_nak]

6. George Bush is a dickhead.

Well, I never said that George Bush is the head of a dick, per say.

[hector459]

7. Except no one ever says, "Excuse me, but you are lying and here is the

proof."

Pulling out transcripts of statements or videos of speeches.

[Calvinist Basset]

8. That's not entirely true.

An episode of "Meet the Press" about a year ago or so caught Rumsfeld in a bold-faced lie--he denied saying something (I don't recall what), and they confronted him with the very quote he denied making. He tried to backpedal, and it was hilarious listening to him "hum" and "haw" his way out of the conversation.

[JohnyCanuck]

10. See my post #9, n/t

[JohnyCanuck]

9. Rummy gets caught telling another nose-stretcher

on Face the Nation - a short video clip from Moveon.org.

Immedidate threat? Who ever said Saddam was an immediate threat?

http://www.moveon.org/censure/caughtonvideo/