Ari Fleischer, July 2nd press briefing

Apologies if this is a dupe. A friend just sent it to me.

Q: And so Americans should conclude that those weapons exist? But why shouldn't they conclude that if we haven't found them, that they're not there, or that they were sent, you know -- weapons materials were sent out of the country?

A: Frankly, I think the burden on this falls to the president's critics. They're the ones who have to explain, after the United Nations, themselves, found that Iraq had failed to account for tons, for liters of botulin toxin and risin and anthrax -- is one to assume that Iraq waited for the United Nations inspectors to get thrown out of the country in order for Iraq then to destroy what everyone acknowledged that they had, and that Iraq failed to tell anybody they actually destroyed it? They failed to do as South Africa did, and take people to the sites of where they destroyed their weapons of mass destruction? I think that's fanciful.

I think that the burden, again, falls on the people who are criticizing the president here, for them to explain how and when Saddam Hussein destroyed it.

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So the burden is for those who question the presence of WMD to prove where they must have gone?!

My friend's take on it was, "This is like asking an athiest to prove God doesn't exist."

Did this get any kind of incredulous response from the press corps? Oh, wait, I know better.

I must admit, I'm kind of enjoying being hostile to the press in emails and when I run into camera crews doing street interviews.

I asked one of our local Fox News camera crews(FOX 25) I ran into on Comm. Ave how much Karl Rove pays their political and international news desks.

One guy said, "who?".

I laughed, rolled my eyes, and left.

They also use the Non Sequitor fallacy ...

"We KNOW that Saddam had WMD programs. because Saddam was a VERY bad man and the world is much better off without him and .... Did YOU see ALL those graves ???? ....... WOW ! ........ and: .. he killed his own people (helped by Reagan/Bush, they dont mention THAT part) .... and .... and ...... the FOOD even tastes better there now ! .... )

NONE of that is relevent to the question: ... Did WE initatiate WAR against a soverign nation by a president who GINNED UP information and basically LIED to SCARE the citizens and the congress into complying with his policy initiatives ? .....

The 'positive' results of war with Iraq have no revelency to THAT question ....

One MIGHT say that Hitler; by invading France, improved the service at restaurants or made the trains run on time: ...... still NOT a justification for war ....