The Trap of Fallacy

Let it be said here, and said loud: it is no defense to the illegal and immoral actions of the Bush White House in its pursuit of torture, that they briefed Nancy Pelosi.

That Nancy Pelosi, one of 535 legislators, might have been told of secret torture programs is a non sequitur when the issue is whether or not our President, Vice President and their underlings are war criminals for breaching both domestic and international law.

This is the classic logical fallacy of the straw man, or straw madame speaker.  But the ISSUE is the acts of the administration, which actually committed the alleged war crimes of torture.  Perhaps even used torture to create, out of whole cloth, the "intelligence" requisite to frighten the rest of Congress, and some of the world, into invading Iraq.

That Nancy Pelosi might have to pay a price for her knowledge is a different, and wholly separate, issue.

But for now, let's stay out of the fallacy trap, and not get distracted from the peopel who actually did the evil deeds.