In February 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell went to the United Nations to present the George W. Bush administration’s case against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. His remarks were directed at two audiences: reluctant allies and unconvinced Americans.

Hawks who wanted this war termed Powell’s performance “compelling and persuasive”. His calm and commanding presence, combined with a multimedia presentation of audiotapes and photographs, built a strong case for US allegations that the Baghdad regime wasn’t fully complying with UN mandates and was seeking to build a nuclear warhead.

Even though the Secretary’s “evidence” was cherry-picked or even fabricated, and artfully presented for maximum impact, his arguments didn’t sway the majority of Americans who remained unconvinced. Most didn’t want a war with Iraq. They weren’t asking for proof of the Iraqi government’s brutality or evil intent. They already knew that to be true. What they wanted to know was “why a war and why now?” In fact, they wanted answers to the very questions Powell had laid out years earlier in what came to be known........

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