[TrappedInLiberalHell]

Mr Blair said he expected to publish a dossier of evidence proving the danger posed by Saddam "in the next few weeks".

Do you suppose this will be the 'smoking gun', or just a rehash of what is already widely assumed/known? If the former, I'd expect the polls to sharply increase in favor of war after Blair's 'dossier' is released. And do you suppose Bush will release a similar one at the same time, so as not to be upstaged?

[lexington minuteman 1775]

I suspect that the dossier's will be released at about the same time.The British Defense minister has talks in the upcoming week with Bush administration officials and i assume they will give him information that Blair can use to change British public opinion.I also assume we will release this to our people before the attack.Although i have a sneaky hunch that Bush may launch an attack first then release the info to show the "Why" we attacked.

[ex-Texan]

Even CNN is starting to come around albeit too slowly. When the Clinton News Network takes any stand other than appeasement it is a Big Deal .... and they did so today.

[Jake0001]

I doubt it.

I imagine he'll try to rehash the same crap thats been broadcasted ad nausium for the past decade in a new light.

Don't forget your "Evil Saddam Bingo Card". Draw a tic-tac-toe grid and put any of the below in any arrangement around the center one which is "free".

"Saddam is trying to build nukes"
"Saddam has chemical and biological weapons"
"Saddam gassed his own people"
"Saddam finances the Palestinians"
"Saddam 'threatens' us and our allies"
"Saddam's Iraq is part of the 'Axis of Evil'"
"Saddam is harboring al Qaeda"
"Saddam sponsors global terrorism"
"Saddam is starving his own people"
"Saddam instigated the Sept 11th attack"
"Saddam threatens stability in the ME"
"Saddam / Satan could the similarity be coincidental?"
"Saddam plans on using his anti-aircraft batteries to shoot down Santa on Christmas Eve - thus the urgent timetable"
"Saddam has caused this recession"
"Saddam is the reason gas isn't free"
"Saddam invented and unleashed the West Nile Virus, AIDS, cancer, saturated fat, fire ants and chiggers on the US"

The facts are that Saddam is a two-bit dictator barely clinging to power. He has tenuous (if any) control over the north and south thirds of his nation. And if he does develop a nuke, how does he get it anywhere? His only good option would be to attach it to a scud (unarmed) and hopes that it arms itself en route and detonates close enough to its target to do its damage. Iran and Syria would seize it for themselves if he tried to smuggle it over their lands. If the Israelis see it, they'll take it out even if it means leveling Annan, Jordon. Over land through our "no-fly" zones? Right.....

The problems I see with this imminent war are these:

We're taking the battle to Saddam.
We're assuming we'll sustain minimal casualties.
We're assuming that we can stabilize Iraq with minimal manpower - when Saddam can't with all he has.
We're assuming that this war will be quick, easy and clean.
We're assuming that no external forces will interfere with our work.

Maybe Bush's plans and assumptions are good.......

[RightWhale]

Do you suppose this will be the 'smoking gun', or just a rehash of what is already widely assumed/known?

It will be a heavy document that will stun the reader by its sheer size. However, it will be a rehash.

[GVnana]

And do you suppose Bush will release a similar one at the same time, so as not to be upstaged?

No. Britain's diplomatic communication lines with other nations are older and more respected than those of the US. I'm thinking Blair will repeat his role of disseminating the indictment against Al Qeada, by making the case against Saddam to the international community.

Strange how this is stepping-up.