(Washington Post) Powell's shift, apparent in public statements and in private conversations with his aides, stems from his dismay at the French decision to publicly oppose military action and President Bush's growing belief that neither inspectors nor Saddam Hussein appear capable of disarming Iraq. Powell has told aides in recent days that he would support military action even without a formal UN resolution. This week Powell also said: "The question isn't how much longer do you need for inspections to work. Inspections will not work." The result is that the once-bitter debates over Iraq among Bush's senior foreign policy advisers have melded "into a pretty solid consensus now," a senior State Department official said.
2003-01-24 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive