I just finished watching coverage of Colin Powell’s UN presentation and it was damning at the very least. (See VodkaPundit for the play by play.) I’m not sure how much more of a smoking gun the UN could want, but Secretary Powell clearly showed that Iraq has lied to the UN, had no intention of disarming, possesses weapons of mass destruction, and has been a major destabilizing force in the region.
Not only that, but Powell has put both Iraq and the UN itself on notice. He’s laid it on the line – the UN can either enforce its own rules or slide into irrelevance. Powell has not only proven Iraqi noncompliance, but shown the UN inspections themselves are at best ineffective.
This is the biggest step towards resolution of this crisis yet. It appears that we are weeks away from strike time at the very latest, and we could be as close as days. (There have been conflicting reports about when we would be ready – which is exactly what one would expect to preserve operational surprise.) The ball is now in the court of the UN to decide if they wish to prove their impotence or uphold their own mission.
