Yes, Carl, Barnes did misquote him. But before you go off into another, "see 2+2=22!" dance, let us remember that
1) de Villepin and Chirac were acknowledging the continued existence of WMD programs, up to the present day, in violation of UN resolustions (save your explanation of how non-existent items can be blocked for your fan club, if you have one)
2) WMD programs do not produce Hostess Twinkies. Either de Villepin was claiming that they had been totally shut down for years, which he was not, or some of their recent products should still be in existence, though it's quite possible that the products were by late January in the Bekaa Valley and not in Iraq anymore. More violation and non-cooperation.
3) it was dead against French interests to admit the existence of WMD programs or "probable" WMDs. When someone makes a statement against his interests and out of character (for instance, if you ever admitted that you had been wrong about anything), it should by logic carry more weight than statments that support his interests, as being far more likely to be true. |
