Monday, February 14, 2005

Mathematically Impossible

Michael Kinsley finds what he calls The Meathead Proposition (washingtonpost.com), whcih logically and irrefutably demonstrates that:
Like the argument I have been hawking (see www.latimes.com/proof), this one doesn't merely suggest that Bush is making bad policy. It demonstrates with near-mathematical certainty that the idea he endorses can't work. Period.
But, of course, logic doesn't mean much anymore:

Bush might as well be proposing legislation that two plus two is five. And if that happened, there would be no shortage of Republicans prepared to endorse this view, experts on arithmetic to declare that it is a very difficult question, research to indicate that the answer may lie anywhere between 2.3 and 7.09, moderate Washington sages to urge caution, media to report both sides of the question, and media critics to accuse the media of a subtle bias in favor of two plus two is four.
Then Kinsley goes on to demonstrate yet another thing about the Bush plan that demonstrates a particularly vapor-headed approach to policy by the right wing.

As policy, it is yet another vapor-headed way of fudging numbers.

As politics, we have to make this mistake really hurt the Republicans for years, since it makes their intent obvious.

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