Powell: Iraq hiding weapons, aiding terrorists
Well, now we have it- proof of Iraq's perfidy, or something close to it. I missed Colin Powell's sales pitch to the UN Security Council yesterday (some of us had to work, yo...), but by most accounts it was a thorough and convincing presentation. I suspect, though, that while Powell's presentation may have swayed some of the Undecideds, it probably didn't do much to change the minds of those who have already set their opinions in stone. The pro-war folks can now say "See, I told you so...", and the anti-war folks can interpret Powell's speech as just another example of American imperialism writ large.
Powell's case was built on a few key points:
- Recorded conversations
- Satellite images of "active chemical munitions bunkers"
- Iraqi scientists banned from interviews, threatened with execution
- Mobile biological weapons labs
- Nerve gas unaccounted for
- Iraq's nuclear efforts are ongoing
- Iraqi links to, and support of, terrorism
If you're going to make an argument, you'd best be able to supply supporting evidence, and Powell spent 90 minutes providing what appeared to be exactly that. If you accept Powell's argument at face value, it is indeed a strong and compelling case for going to war against Iraq. Whether or not his evidence will stand up to independent scrutiny is another story, but I suspect most of it likely will. In the final analysis, though, it won't matter. We have been travelling down the road to war for some time now. It is almost unimaginable that we would turn back. From where I sit, the only question is when and how.
If you are anti-war, no amount of prayer, walking meditation, or naked protest marches will alter the reality of where we are heading. We're going to war, and regardless of your feelings or mine, we've been moving down this path all along.
