*sigh*.

i don't think there was a thinking person in the world who believed for one moment that the accusations the americans leveled had the slightest tinge of legitimacy. if it were possible for credibility to be measured in a comparable way, american credibility would be *negative*. they have *anti-credibility*.

rather, when the americans make a claim, thinking people require that it be corroborated by a more trustworthy international actor, like russia. or china. in the absence of such a corroboration - or in the presence of contradictory claims - the null hypothesis of american hyper-pragmatism that treats truth as a casualty of ambition must be fallen back upon.

this is how we must operate. we must assume that american officials, even at the highest levels, are looking us in the eye and lying to us through their teeth. the burden of proof to demonstrate otherwise is entirely theirs. due to history, it is heightened, and also present in situations where the benefit of the doubt should be otherwise assumed - and ought to be outside of the extraneous circumstance of the americans having negative credibility.

so, this is the reality of things. the americans can say what they want, but nobody believes them anymore.

http://www.lrb.co.uk/2013/12/08/seymour-m-hersh/whose-sarin