Peter,

I do not believe that I have lost track of what I said in my earlier post.

On the "mushroom cloud" thing, this is what WAS said:

"IF THE IRAQI REGIME IS ABLE to produce, buy, or steal an amount of highly-enriched uranium a little larger than a single softball, IT COULD HAVE a nuclear weapon in less than a year. ... Knowing these realities, America must not ignore the threat gathering against us."

In the above a specific potential threat is outlined, the "IF" and "COULD" clearly define it as a potential threat. GWB then went on to say:

"Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof -- the smoking gun -- that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud."

That is a general statement of principle of how a responsible government should react.

The scenario being described above does not amount to what Bobert contends below:

"First we invade Iraq BECAUSE IT WAS going to drop a nuclear warhead on us," - In short the statement made by Bobert above is incorrect, at NO TIME AT ALL did anyone in the current US administration say that Iraq WAS going to drop a nuclear warhead on the US.