A
logical fallacy in which an
argument to prove
one thing actually
proves something else. If the argument is extremely
long and
boring, many people
wouldn't notice.
Example: "You should vote for J. Random Politician! Both George "W" Bush and Al Gore are beholden to large evil corporations for campaign contributions!" Maybe so, but you haven't proven why i should vote for J. Random, just that the other two suck.
To prove the conclusion irrelevant, show that the conclusion proved is not the one stated.