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Tony Blair, a passionate Christian, has expressed his conviction that WMDs will be found in almost directly religious terms of credo quia absurdum: despite the lack of evidence, he personally is deeply convinced that they will be found. ... The only appropriate answer to this conundrum is not the boring liberal plea for innocence until guilt is proved but, rather, the point made succintly by 'Rachel from Scotland' on the BBC website in September 2003: 'We know he had weapons; we sold him some of them.' This is the direction a serious investigation should have taken.

Tony Blair#74

AccountabilityAnalysisBeliefEvidence

About this quote

What does it mean?
This quote critiques belief without evidence regarding weapons of mass destruction.
In plain terms
Believing weapons exist without evidence is criticized.
What can you take from it?
Evidence should support claims about weapons.

Where it applies

  • public policy
  • media analysis

Putting it to work

  • fact checking
  • public inquiry

Questions to consider

  • How do you handle unverified claims?

Another view

Investigations are not always timely or thorough.

More from Tony Blair

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  3. A second-rate actor, he turned out to be a crafty and avaricious politician, but without much substance; bereft of ideas he eagerly grasped and tried to improv…

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