Sooner than expected: Colin Powell is arguing that Iran is now on track to have nuclear weapons ready by next year.
Question: Is his credibility after the Iraq-WMD fiasco sufficiently intact to convince the world that we now have a real problem on our hands?
Answer: To many, probably not.
Question: But would you still accept his comments and agree that Iran is an issue that needs to be dealt with immediately?
Answer: Yes.
Question: Why?
Answer: Because (a) it is extremely unlikely that on the eve of his departure Powell would come out with an argument based on shaky intelligence and thus make the same mistake twice (place in history and all that), and (b) it's too late in the game to take any risks and err on the side of caution.
