buckworks - 8:44 pm on Dec 28, 2008 (gmt 0)

If anyone seriously believes site B, without one mention of the keyword can ethically vie with site A in the serps

You're making assumptions that go much further than the original question.

Site B doesn't have to vie with Site A and it's not realistic to present the issue in those terms.

To achieve [hopefully useful] visibility it only has to vie with the sites in positions 2-10.

who can produce results with zero content

No one has said that so don't create straw men (another logical fallacy).

Content that doesn't directly mention a certain word or phrase is not at all the same as "zero content".