The Phrase That Pays

This document is of limited evidentiary value.

That's the phrase that pays, and one that CBS probably wishes it had used when it ran bogus documents as proof that Bush lied about his service in Rathergate. This is the phrase that ABC News is using in association with one of the documents captured in Iraq and now translated into English that show linkages between Saddam and al Qaeda:

(Editor's Note: The controversial claim that Osama bin Laden was cooperating with Saddam Hussein is an ongoing matter of intense debate. While the assertions contained in this document clearly support the claim, the sourcing is questionable — i.e. an unnamed Afghan "informant" reporting on a conversation with another Afghan "consul." The date of the document — four days after 9/11 — is worth noting but without further corroboration, this document is of limited evidentiary value.)

It's also a way of dismissing the evidence. The reality is that the evidence is growing that these links extended beyond initial meetings and discussion, not shrinking. And the names of those involved in suspicious activities keep popping up all over the place - see also Ambassador, Russia.