  The standard cold dark matter (CDM) model has recently been challenged by the
claim that dwarf galaxies have dark matter halos with constant density cores.
Consequently, numerous alternative dark matter candidates have recently been
proposed. In this paper, we scrutinize the observational evidence for the
incongruity between dwarf galaxies and the CDM model. To this end, we analyze
the rotation curves of 20 late-type dwarf galaxies studied by Swaters (1999).
Taking the effects of beam-smearing and adiabatic contraction into account, we
fit mass models to these rotation curves with dark matter halos with different
cusp slopes, ranging from constant density cores to r^{-2} cusps. Uncertainties
in the stellar mass-to-light ratio and the limited spatial sampling of the
halo's density distribution hamper a unique mass decomposition. Consequently,
the rotation curves in our sample cannot be used to discriminate between dark
halos with constant density cores and r^{-1} cusps. We show that the dwarf
galaxies analyzed here are consistent with cold dark matter halos in a LCDM
cosmology, and that there is thus no need to abandon the idea that dark matter
is cold and collisionless. However, the data is also consistent with any
alternative dark matter model that produces dark matter halos with central
cusps less steep than r^{-1.5}. In fact, we argue that based on existing
rotation curves alone at best weak limits can be obtained on cosmological
parameters and/or the nature of the dark matter.
