corrente

Colin, Colin... And we thought you were the one with integrity!

Christopher Marqui of the Times reports:

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell conceded Thursday that despite his assertions to the United Nations last year, he had no "smoking gun" proof of a link between the government of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and terrorists of Al Qaeda.

Mr. Powell's remarks on Thursday were a stark admission that there is no definitive evidence to back up administration statements and insinuations that Saddam Hussein had ties to Al Qaeda, the acknowledged authors of the Sept. 11 attacks. Although President Bush finally acknowledged in September that there was no known connection between Mr. Hussein and the attacks, the impression of a link in the public mind has become widely accepted — and something administration officials have done little to discourage.

Great use of the passive voice there, Chris—may I call you Chris?—makes it sound like the American people discovered this "impression" under a cabbage leaf... And "little to discourage" is terrific, too. You mean "everything to encourage," don't you, Chris?

Mr. Powell offered a vigorous defense of his Feb. 5 presentation before the Security Council, in which he voiced the administration's most detailed case to date for war with Iraq, [saying] "Iraqi officials deny accusations of ties with Al Qaeda. These denials are simply not credible."

On Thursday, Mr. Powell dismissed second-guessing....

Translation: "What difference does it make?"

In the immortal words of Gregg Allman: "That was then, this is now... Don't ask me to be Mister Clean 'cause babyt I don't know how!"