Blackmailed? deal?
hah
Powell is a twisty politician baxtard. And like all modern Politicians their public performances are part of advertising campaigns.
He played a very important role in the selling of the war,
he was the voice of reason - the character who was cautiously thinking it through. then if even HE changed his mind so forcefully.....
He was playing a part to a certain audience, a reformed cynic selling the washing powder with claims of dazzling brilliance and freshness that would cleanse the world of its stains.
if you think for one minute that the powerpoint (always the stress on power too, sneakily subliminial eh?) presentation to the UN was aimed at the hard assed international negotiators.....
Do you seriously think a presentation like that at that stage would influence anybody - let alone the worlds top diplomats? do you think it was intended to? do you think that presentations such as these are the way other countries are persuaded - to go to war?
There was one main audience, the only game in town. The US public that the administration needed to persuade in favour of going to war.
Powell was one of the many tools they used, some less subtle than others.
