Steve Cobble, a founder of afterdowningstreet.org, took the stage at 11:15 a.m.
Steve read from the Downing Street Memo, highlighting a few key phrases from that document. "The Foreign Secretary said he would discuss this with Colin Powell this week. It seemed clear that Bush had made up his mind to take military action, even if the timing was not yet decided. But the case was thin. Saddam was not threatening his neighbours, and his WMD capability was less than that of Libya, North Korea or Iran. We should work up a plan for an ultimatum to Saddam to allow back in the UN weapons inspectors. This would also help with the legal justification for the use of force. The Attorney-General said that the desire for regime change was not a legal base for military action."
The crowd is enthusiastic, applauding several times during Steve's talk, especially with Steve mentioning poll numbers showing that the American public is beginning to wear thin on the Bush administration's misdirection.
Steve was the Strategist for the Kucinich Campaign Organization and also the former Political Director of the National Rainbow Coalition, a speechwriter for Jesse Jackson, and served as a strategic advisor to Ralph Nader in his 2000 campaign.
The program now moves to Bill Mitchell.