Using JREF methodology to prove Bush Admin lied on WMD

[RandFan]

The premise of my logic is this.

The JREF million dollars is to be paid, not on exhaustive investigation of the claims of Sylvia, for example, but a simple test of easy questions. She doesn't have to get them all right, just a reasonable percentage. If she is right about being psychic, she will get most of answers right, and win the mill. Otherwise, she is lying about having psychic powers.

Now, a similar test can be applied to the Bush admins claims about WMD in Iraq. Colin powells speech is a good example. He made numerous claims. It is a simple matter now of just ticking them off, correct or incorrect. If he lied then most will be incorrect, if he told the truth, then most will be correct. He does not have to get them all right. If he got them all wrong, however, it is not just a matter of making a simple mistake, then another, then another.

He must have been lying.

I think your logic is flawed. I think the more that Powel gets wrong the more likely that he lied. Especially given the points made by other posters in this thread. However simply counting wrong claims does not prove lying. It proves that the claims are wrong.

I don't think Randi is trying to prove Sylvia is a liar. I think that is pretty much established. I think Randi is trying to demonstrate that no one is able to pass the test.

 

[Nasarius]

"He must have been lying."

AUP, have you seen this detailed, extraordinary "history" of the US attack on Iraq? - all the lies few saw fit to print at the time they were told?

Interesting compilation. Unfortunately, it's sloppy.

That same month, I heard that a CIA report stated: ‘We do not have any direct evidence that Iraq has used the period since Desert Fox to reconstitute its weapons of mass destruction programmes.’

No, I rather doubt that a CIA report would have the word "programmes" in it.

I know, it's a magazine article, but it would be nice to see this list complete with citations and LexisNexis links. Some of the supposed quotes are a bit fishy, especially the "I heard that..." ones.