[lbo-talk] US papers ignore Bush admission

[Carrol Cox]

My impression is that, whether the story is of politics, celebrity
personal affairs, or illnesses at church picnics, the phrase "There is
no evidence of X" usually means, "X, though we can't prove it, is almost
certainly true." I would presume that in the present instance that
wording was deliberately chosen, and anyone who reads merely the
headline or the first couple sentences -- and who has no reason
otherwise to be suspicious or doubtful -- would assume that the
connection has been affirmed rather than denied.

About a decade ago my sister-in-law was murdered. She was kidnapped and
about 6 days later her body discovered in a car in a town 30 miles away;
she had been shot through the head. About two years later the police
informed my brother they knew who had shot her, but there was no
evidence and nothing could be done. We all took that as final. This is I
think a commonplace. If there _is_ evidence of X, one says "X", not
"There is evidence of X."

Carrol