Great moments in denial

1912: “Oh that? Just a growler, gonna glance off the hull. It’s the finest steel in the history of the empire. And have I told you about the compartments? Most modern naval architecture, I tell old chap.”

1939: “Naw, he’d never invade Poland.”

1970: “The Olympics can no more have a deficit than a man can have a baby.”

2010: “I don’t think it’s that organized. I just think it’s a group of people out there who see an opportunity to show their devotion to the premier, and they do that by, in this instance, attacking the media… In many instances, they weren’t listening to the program, they don’t know what the question was that I asked, they haven’t read my column. But they are responding (anyway)… and a lot of them will respond and cc it to other offices, let’s say that.”