Could you, using the 'logic' of the Bush Administration, 'prove' that elves exist?

"There's another way to phrase that and that is that the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence. It is basically saying the same thing in a different way. Simply because you do not have evidence that something does exist does not mean that you have evidence that it doesn't exist." - Donald Rumsfeld, on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

Well, that means one thing...

"The absence of evidence of elves is not the evidence of absence of elves. It is basically saying the same thing in a different way. Simply because you do not have evidence that something does exist does not mean that you have evidence that it doesn't exist. So therefore, just because there is no evidence of the existence of elves does not mean that there is no evidence that elves don't exist."

Now you try, can you vouch for the existence of elves using phrases said by members of the Bush Administration?

you can make about 29% of Americans believe almost anything if recent history is any example.

What else ya got?

and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat."

Is our elves learning yet?

I am certain that the elf and the human can co-habituate.

"We know where they are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat." Rumsfeld

or this, some words changed:

The king of elves has amassed large clandestine armies of elves, they will use such weapons as fairy dust, etc. His regime has amassed large clandestine stockpiles of mushrooms, toadstools and other dangerous foodstuffs.

Actual quote, etc, from Rumsfeld:

Saddam "has amassed large clandestine stocks of biological weapons." including anthrax and botulism toxin and possibly smallpox. His regime has amassed large clandestine stockpiles of chemical weapons, including VX and sarin and mustard gas."

so therefore it would be dangerous to assume they DON'T exist!

There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know.

This is just a short jump away from believing in elves, as far as I am concerned.

Elves exist.

most certainly, convince my neighbors here behind the Orange Curtain - as long as the Chimp says so first.

Did you know, though, that Elvish is hot?

(1) The question is asked in the context of an ongoing investigation, so we have no comment on it.

(Two weeks later)
Therefore, elves exist.

We have credible evidence that elves have sought to purchase weapons making materials from Niger (emphasis on last to words for dramatic quality)....What, what's that you say? The guy we sent to check on it says that's not true? Well for Christ's sake, tell everybody his wife works for the Keebler elves or Halliburton will never be able to swipe all of thier fudgy goodness for themselves and uncle DICK!