As much criticism as Powell received for this — he's called it "painful" and something that will "always be a part of my record" — it hasn't been close to what's justified. Powell, who was secretary of state under President George W. Bush, was much more than just horribly mistaken: He fabricated "evidence" and ignored repeated warnings that what he was saying was false.

Unfortunately, Congress never investigated Powell's use of the intelligence he was given, so we don't know many of the specifics. Even so, what did reach the public record in other ways is extremely damning. While the corporate media has never taken a close look at this record, we can go through Powell's presentation line by line to demonstrate the chasm between what he knew and what he told the world. As you'll see, there's quite a lot to say about it.