From a heartbroken veteran

[cab67]

27. Well aware of that.

I stand by what I said.

Powell, right or wrong, carried a level of gravitas with the American public. They'd forgotten My Lai, but remembered the Gulf War and Powell's appearances in the news media at the time. They trusted him way more than they trusted Bush, Cheney, or Rumsfeld.

As such, had he acted on what he actually thought at the time (according to multiple sources), he could have declined to repeat claims he thought were marginal at best. That would have had an impact on public perception of the administration's efforts.