Did Bush manipulate Iraq data?

[WarBlade]

In paraphrasing, you glossed over all of Powell's hedging and substitute your own perception of the argument for that which was actually made.

Glossing over Colin Powel's presentation? I wasn't even thinking of it at all! :blink: That thing was a joke and I have nothing but contempt for it.

Anyway, neither the Bush administration nor many americans view this as the only reason that could possibly be viewed as justification for war, so it is a complete waste of time in their minds (and mine) to keep harping on it.

It's a big issue for the rest of the world. Many nations looked to various laws initially and said there was no way they could legally be part of an invasion force based on what they knew. Now that the invasion is finished the debate continues to rage over the prospect of peace keeping forces. Basically, the way the Bush administration dealt the cards means that everyone else now has to scratch their heads over whether assistance at this point would be contributing to an "occupation" force or a "peace keeping" force. The WMD argument still has the capacity to sort that blurry line into a hard black and white one.

The more common element of the WMD debate of the issue that Britain is keenly aware of now. Blair staked his political reputation on the existence of WMDs and as a result of that, appears to have a much diminished chance of remaining Prime Minister beyond the next election. It's no surprise then that WMDs are still a hotly debated topic.