I was impressed by Powell's presentation. Unlike the other voices in the Bush regime, Powell has protected his integrity by refusing lie even when his telling of the truth caused problems for the rest of them. No one could have made that presentation and have been the least bit believable. Powell was. He did not overstate his case and the conclusions he drew from the evidence were within the bounds of reasonability. It's just too bad his superiors lack that kind of integrity.

It would have been far, far better if the regime had approach the question something like this,
"Yes, we have a war underway against the 9/11 terrorists and their accomplices. But we also have some unfinished business with Iraq. At this time they are not connected. However, now that the terrorists have shown that they have no compunction about inflicting mass casualties we must do all that we can to deprive them of the means to do so. As long as Iraq remains a rogue state, it is more and more likely that the two will eventually get together with disastrous results. Therefore it makes sense that now is the time to finish our business with Iraq and thereby deprive the remaining terrorists of the opportunity to use Iraq's prohibited weapons against us. This appears to be the best way to keep the effectiveness of the terrorists at bay until such time as we can dispose of them directly."

Unfortunately, the regime has few that can be that articulate. Thankfully Powell is one.