Dick Cheney:

Now, is there a connection between the Iraqi government and the original World Trade Center bombing in ’93? … We just don’t know.

Josh Marshall:

Presumably Mr. Cheney is basing the veracity of this statement on the same principle by which he doesn’t know that I can’t bench press a thousand pounds. (Italics in original)

See, some of the folk do use variable standards for knowledge. At least if Brown PhDs are considered part of the folk. And at least if you can include when they’re being sarcastic. But it’s evidence! Note also the stress on ‘know’, which I remain convinced is a primary method for effecting shifts in the pragmatic content of knowledge attributions.

By the way, Josh’s post has the entire Cheney quote, so if you’re worried that my elisions there amount to misrepresenting what he said, you can check the original. I think it’s pretty fair though. It might also be noted that earlier in the quote Josh cites Cheney alleges that we don’t know whether Iraq was involved in the 2001 attacks. It’s not clear which of the bizarre professions of ignorance Josh was parodying.