Powell's Performance Before the UN

Colin Powell didn’t sway doubters with his presentation to the UN yesterday. Many nations “agreed that Saddam Hussein's government fell far short of compliance with U.N. resolutions, but few made the leap to suggesting Iraq presented a big enough threat to warrant war.”

Here’s the transcript of Powell’s speech. Key points are highlighted here. The Iraqi response is available here.

A “Gunfight at the UN Corral” was how Danny Schechter described the scene. Critiques of the speech can be found from Phyllis Bennis and Ali Abunimah.

Update: Fred Kaplan of Slate thinks that Powell presented the smoking gun needed to justify war. For him, the intercepted phone conversations and satellite photos are proof positive that Iraq is thumbing its nose at the UN. "Unless you believe Iraq's dismissal that the photos and tapes are fabrications," Kaplan writes, "many of Powell's conclusions are nearly irrefutable." Meanwhile, the Sydney Morning Herald reports that the credibility of the phone taps is questionable.

Hans Blix and Mohamed El Baradei, the chief UN inspectors, also weigh in. They found Powell's "evidence for war against Iraq 'circumstantial' and said America had failed to provide a clear-cut case for military action." Scott Ritter, former UNMOVIC inspector, simply dismissed Powell's allegations, labelling them "unsubstantiated" and based on "circumstantial evidence."

Geov Parrish thinks the case presented before the UN fails to make the case for war. Similarly, Rahul Mahajan wonders, Is this all they've got?