The Associated Press, in a story about an interview with a German publication:
Colin Powell, who retired as secretary of state in January,
also said he still is "furious and angry" about his Feb. 5, 2003, speech
to the U.N. Security Council in which he said Iraq had weapons of mass destruction
that violated U.N. sanctions.
No such weapons were found, but Powell told Stern
he had no reason to doubt intelligence from the CIA and other agencies suggesting
Saddam had them.
"I have to live with that."
-Colin Powell, on presenting false WMD evidence to the United Nations
Powell said he spent four days and three nights at the CIA before making the presentation, Stern reported.
''Some of this information was wrong. I didn't know
that at the time,'' Powell was quoted as saying. ''I have to live with that.''
But he defended the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 that
toppled Saddam and paved the way for elections in Iraq - despite the continuing
anti-U.S. insurgency.
''Yes, the insurgency is much bigger than we assumed.
But I'm happy that Saddam is in jail. And I'm darn glad that we will never
again have to talk about weapons of mass destruction in connection with Iraq,''
Powell said.
''Anyone who says that has no idea. We are friends,'' he said.
MY REACTION: Powell's closing comment about being "darn glad that we
will never again have to talk about weapons of mass destruction in
connection with Iraq" bothers me, because we never had to talk about
them to begin with.
However, the administration DID talk about them to the American public
and the president and his underlings are on videotape of interviews in
the pre-war days insisting that WMD were in Iraq and that Hussein
planned to use them. Even after they were warned the intelligence could
be flawed, the administration perpetuated this myth to convince ... or
brainwash ... the American public of the need to go to war.
How many of our fine young men and women have died or will have to live
with wartime injuries for the rest of their lives because of lies?
Perhaps the world is a better place without Hussein in control, but are
we safer? No. Is Iraq a "democracy"? No, it has a long way to go. Are
there more terrorists in Iraq than before the war? Yes. Should we sweep
the fact that we were lied to in order to put more than 100,000 of our
brave troops in harm's way be swept under the carpet and forgotten? I
think not.
But we're there, and the job needs to be completed -- at most or even
least to bring a semblance of peace. My hat is off to all members of
our armed forces who did the jobs to which they were assigned. I pray
that all of those remaining on foreign soil will return soon and safely
to their homes and families.
I also pray that Americans -- and particularly our journalists -- will
not be afraid to ask hard, probing questions in search of truth if such
a conflict arises again.
