Debating

Amanda Carpenter wrote Biden Tells 14 Lies During VP Debate. You can check the specific instances at the linked article. The post debate analytical spin by Obama supporters points out how effective truth distorting can be. Spinsters argued that Sarah Palin did not answer specific points made by Biden. It is difficult to counter a lie in a debate when the subject matter is complex and evidence for lying may require some digging. A good counter strategy entails identifying offending statements as lies but lies may not be obvious or provable without some researching.

What this says about debates is instructive. We need not assume at the close of a debate that unanswered points were either incontrovertible or that a debater was unaware of a refutation. The unawareness may pertain only to the exact data needed to point out the untruth of an opponent's claims.