> The point is that nobody is diagnosed with "shin splints",

They are, or rather, they are diagnosed with medial tibial stress syndrome, which is a distinct and generally less serious thing from a tibial stress fractures (though, AFAICT, may include tibial stress fractures.)

But the relationship between the "shin splits" and medial tibial stress syndrome is clear -- one is the common name and one the formal medical term.

And that's not, in fact, what Snowden was diagnosed with.

And what Snowden was actually diagnosed with is, in fact, broken bones in both legs, so for the House report to paint him as a liar in saying that he was discharged with broken legs because he was -- by the reports description -- discharged with mere shin splints is a lie of such breathtaking brazenness, on such a trivial matter, so far from the substantive meat of the issue, that it demonstrates that the report was written with the intent to smear Snowden everywhere possible without any regard for the actual facts. And that's what makes it important, rather than the importance of the particular claim to the substantive matter.

I don't know that this is worth litigating further. I think, for instance, it's much simpler to establish that the House Report was brazenly dishonest about Snowden's educational record. It's not like the trustworthiness of the spin in the House Report is in dispute: it's clearly not trustworthy.

No, the point is that the whole discussion of "shin splints" is nothing more than a (rather crude) attempt at misdirection.

And attempted comparisons to a "runny nose", even more so.