It won't be long before the Swift-Boaters and other thugs put on the full-court smear.

Here's the speech in Quicktime, a large (67 MB) file that contains material not in the transcript:

http://www.newamerica.net/images/Event_520_4.mp4

It's a very important speech, IMHO. And the answers to questions are as important.

It sounds like Wilkerson is paving the way for Colin Powell to recant on his support for the Bush foreign policy. If Wilkerson is Powell's sword, then Powell is trying to re-write the books so that he can end up on the right side of history. Is it coincidental that Powell would want to divorce himself from the Iraq war just at the moment that support for Bush's adventurism has tanked, and a mere 12 1/2 months before the launch of the Republicon free-for-all grab for the 2008 presidential nomination?

Sorry, Colin, the time for you to stand tall against this fiasco was in August, 2002. Instead you went before the UN Security Council and lied to the nation and the world. Now you are 3 years late, 2000 American soldiers' lives and tens of thousands of dead Iraqis short. You may recant, but we will not forgive.

There have been warning about a flu pandemic from the WHO for approx 2 years since it showed up in Indonesia. Can you just imagaine this

Administration's response. All over Asia and Europe there are meetings

about this potential crisis. Do you hear much from our government? With the Bush Administration in disarray and with it's priorities all screwed up, we should be scared, very scared for our Nation, our families and ourselves. I would love Salon to do more reporting on the Avian flu and what our so - called Government is planning for this crisis. If it's anything like the Cheney-Rumsfeld "cabal" mess, God help us all!!!!