What was the explanation for Mr. Powell's perfomance before the UN Security Council when he displayed photographs and maps proving the existence of "weapons of mass destruction" in Iraq? Was he lying? Was he lied to and manipulated by others in the administration? Or, was there truly an "intelligence failure," and I'm not talking about Mr. Bush's grasp of policy. Is this an indictment of the CIA, DOD, NSA, and other intelligence agencies which eat up some $100 billion yearly (the exact amount is clasified)?

Well, some clues can be found in this exchange from the White House press conference Thursday (5/29):

REPORTER: “Is the President satisfied with the intelligence he got before the war? Because now one Cabinet officer is saying that they (the Iraqis) buried the weapons; another said they destroyed them; and another said they — what’s the President’s view on all this?”

ARI FLEISCHER: “The President is indeed satisfied with the intelligence that he received. And I think that is borne out by the fact that just as Secretary Powell described at the United Nations, we have found the two trucks that can be used only for the purpose of producing biological weapons. That’s proof perfect that the intelligence in that regard was right on target.”

REPORTER: “We go to war for two trucks?”

FLEISCHER: “I’m sorry?”

REPORTER: “You would go to war from the finding of two trucks?”

FLEISCHER: “Well, I don’t think it’s anything to dismiss. Iraq had, contrary to their protestations to the United Nations, trucks for the purpose of producing biological weapons. They said they didn’t have them, they got caught — proof-perfect that they had them.”

No wonder he quit. The constant lying has gotten poor Ari so twisted that he has to screw his pants on each morning (as Hunter Thompson once said about Richard Nixon). The cynics comfort themselves with the view that the administration, having been caught in their lies, is going to try to brazen it out, depending on the short news cycle and attention span of the American voter. I think this interpretation is wrong. This administration of true believers has no doubt about being in the right, the facts be damned. That's a frightening realization as they confront Iran, North Korea, and any other preceived adversary.