Botnst,

I am perfectly content with a definition of lying that encompasses the following:

1. Making statements to leave a false impression that you actually know something when you should have said you heard from others and have not checked the facts your self.
2. Making statements to achieve an end result costing lives of Americans, our allies and enemies and civilians in a foreign land, that are not supported by facts you are actually sure of yourself, but that you present as though they were.

And, I am perfectly content to issue a guilty verdict to President Bush on the WMD argument he used to get the support he needed to take the country to war in Iraq.

The fact that you, and some others, insist on parsing words and definitions to point out there theoretically could be another explanation is ok, it is your opinion and you have the right to express it. The apparent "round and round" issue comes from the fact that not everyone agrees with you, or your logic for dismissing the notion that Bush lied. He is the Commander in Chief, and he needs to have a better reason for making the decision to kill several thousand people than "I heard Saddam had WMD from someone that should have known." Along with the power that comes with the "Commander in Chief" title comes the responsibility to act with knowledge and facts, not innuendo or nuanced claims of threats that need to be countered.

O.J. Simpson made it clear the legal definitions of evidence and the array of possible interpretations of data are not always compatible or easily accounted for in all cases. In this case, George W. Bush is clearly and logically a liar. However, I concede you bring up an argument that gives pause, for a moment. But it reminds me of the famous, (and winning, I acknowledge) sound bite, "If the glove don't fit you must acquit," from the OJ trial. Sounds great, actually probably unforgettable, but we know what the evidence said in spite of the jury's determination.

Jim

__________________
Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles

Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)