Arguable anecdotes

Some people argue against evident failure of systemic proportions by citing selective anecdotal success stories. I've noticed this mostly on the right side of the political spectrum. The most prominent example would be Bush arguing the success of any of his policies by picking an individual and parading her at his State of the Union address. The example does not and cannot prove the broad point, it just glosses it a bit.

Sort of like saying, "Oh, no, the ship isn't sinking! Here's a dry spot!"