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To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (71706)	2/6/2003 11:51:49 AM
From: jcky	Read Replies (1) of 280800

The public transformation of Secretary Powell himself from "dove" into "hawk" is a direct consequence of his success in arguing for the involvement of the U.N. It was his bright idea, and thus President Bush left him to salvage it. Yup, this seems like a fairly accurate assessment. In the same way that Bush has cornered himself into an invasion of Iraq, Powell is now trying to salvage the UN option. If this president wants a war, there will be a war: Bush has already bet the credibility of this country and his re-election chances on it. I suspect there are many reasons why Powell is joining the hawkish camp. He may firmly believe there is no other viable alternative than an invasion. Powell may think he is able to exert more influence with this hardline administration by leading the charge, thus, averting a future neocon foreign disaster (like confronting and attacking North Korea). Or the Secretary of State may be acting like a good soldier to best serve the president and our country knowing that resigning now isn't an option. There are just too many factors to consider.