  We first compare the CMB lensing model of Seljak (1996) with the empirical
model of Lieu & Mittaz (2005) to determine if the latter approach implies a
larger effect on the CMB power-spectrum. We find that the empirical model gives
significantly higher results for the magnification dispersion, assuming
standard cosmological parameters. However, when the empirical foreground model
is modelled via correlation functions and used in the Seljak formalism, the
agreement is considerably improved. Thus we conclude that the main difference
may be in the assumed foregrounds. We then discuss a foreground mass
distribution which gives a lensing dispersion which is constant with angle. In
Seljak's formalism, we show this can lead to a smoothing of the CMB
power-spectrum which may be able to move the first acoustic peak to smaller l,
if the mass clustering amplitude is high enough. Evidence for such a high
amplitude comes from the QSO magnification results of Myers et al (2003, 2005)
who suggest that foreground galaxy groups may be more massive than expected,
implying that Omega_m ~ 1 and strong galaxy anti-bias. We then show that an
inflationary model with neither CDM nor a cosmological constant and that
predicts a primordial first peak at l=330 may fit the first acoustic peak of
the WMAP data. This fit may be regarded as somewhat contrived since it also
requires high redshift reionisation at the upper limit of what is allowed by
the WMAP results. But given the finely-tuned nature of the standard LCDM model,
the contrivance may be small in comparison and certainly the effect of lensing
and other foregrounds may still have a considerable influence on the
cosmological interpretation of the CMB.
