by TChris

Before sending troops to Iraq, the Bush administration explained

that it was necessary to topple Saddam because he had stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, was trying to build a nuclear weapon and represented a grave danger in the post-Sept. 11, 2001, world.

In the absence of any such weapons, the President today said the administration and others thought that Saddam had weapons, but offered a different justification for the war:

"But he had the capacity to make a weapon and then let that weapon fall into the hands of a shadowy terrorist network," Bush said.

The difference has not gone unnoticed by Democratic front-runner John Kerry.

"This is a far cry from what the president and his administration told the American people through 2002," Kerry said. "Back then President Bush repeatedly told the American people that Saddam Hussein has got chemical weapons."

"They told us they could deploy these weapons within 45 minutes to injure our troops," the four-term senator from Massachusetts added. "It was on that basis that he sent Americans' sons and daughters off to war."

Unless voters have short memories, are easily deceived, or just don't care, the President's growing credibility gap will play a significant role come November.