"...there are those who believe that continuing the inspection process is a kind of delaying tactic to prevent or avert military intervention. That naturally raises a question of how much time is allowed Iraq. And this brings us to the heart of the matter. What is at stake is our credibility and our sense of responsibility. . . .

France, for its part, would propose another meeting on 14 March at the ministerial level to assess the situation. We would then be able to judge the progress made and what remains to be done.

Given this context, the use of force is not justified at this time. . . .

Ten days ago, the U.S. secretary of state . . . reported alleged links between Al Qaeda and the Baghdad regime. Given the present state of our research and intelligence in liaison with our allies, nothing allows us to establish such links. But we must assess the impact that disputed military action would have on this level. Would such intervention today not be liable to exacerbate divisions between societies, cultures, peoples; divisions that nurture terrorism? . . ." Dominique de Villepin, French Foreign Minister

The Bush administration continues to push for action sooner, rather than later, as he has encamped a massive force around Iraq. Unless some action is taken, soon, seasonal conditions will make it impossible for US forces to operate in the heavy, and marginally effective, NBC gear they will be using. Also, it costs a lot of money to keep those forces forward deployed. Unfortunately, Bush's tax-cuts for his wealthy friends will drain US coffers to the point that he can no longer afford to maintain those troops abroad. And lets not forget his sliding poll numbers. The longer this saga continues, the more Americans will come to realize that the whole issue has nothing to do with any imminent threat to the US.

So, of course Bush is going to push for war within the next month. It is also quite likely that he, fool that he is, pursue his dirty little war unilaterally. That will result in a bitter harvest indeed for all of America and the world.