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Clive, Resolution 1441 said nothing about war. If "serious consequences" necessarily implies lethal force, perhaps I should have been more concerned when my bank manager discussed the ramifications of defaulting on my student loan.

Pukka Puck, you're right -- there is no such thing as international democracy. And there never will be as long as the US can ignore the will of the majority with impunity.

Weirdad, you're a scary guy. Perhaps you don't believe in democracy, but at least GWB claims to. The promotion of democracy in Iraq was one of the reasons he gave for the war in the first place.

Catalonia, I'm not assuming anything about the positions of particular foreign governments or their benevolent intentions. Any more than I assume the positions or the intentions of individuals when they vote. Any more than I'm assuming GWB's benvolent intentions toward Iraq, for that matter. Individual nations, like individual voters, may be corrupt or devious. I am assuming only that the majority will act in good conscience. To assume the contrary -- that mankind as a whole is malevolent and untrustworthy -- is to assume a level of nihilism and chaos that IMHO would not be worth enduring.

RJL, in Catalonia's words, "you are assuming that the stated positions of foreign governments are their true positions." The U.S. spent billions of dollars bribing and browbeating the "support" of those 44 countries. Even at that, the list is a bad joke. Have you looked at it? (Turkey is part of their "coalition of the willing"??)

And just for the record, I am in favour of the use of force to oust Saddam. I just don't like the way it's being done. A majority of the world wanted to give Hans Bliz at least a few more weeks, and that's what should have happened.

Had Bush been willing to wait, he would eventually have had a true world majority on his side. As it is, he's given every tinpot dictator a justification to invade his neighbor whenever he feels "threatened". Not to mention the boost he's given Bin Laden's recruiting efforts.

It's the difference between a fair trial and a lynch mob. It has nothing to do with the guilt of innocence of the accused, or the appropriateness of the penalty.

"A majority of the world wanted to give Hans Bliz at least a few more weeks, and that's what should have happened."

Sez you with absolutely no evidence.

Those countries, like the French, Russians, and Chinese, who wanted to wait a few more weeks, wanted to wait so that the weather conditions would be so unfavorable that there would have been no war, whatsoever. That was the true aim of the delay strategy.

Twelve years is plenty long enough to wait. 1441 called for the IMMEDIATE disarmament of Iraq, not more shilly-shallying. In diplomatic lingo, "serious consequences" does necessarily imply lethal force. It means something else when dealing with your frigging bank or for that matter when dealing with your little kid, numb nuts. Stop being deliberately obtuse or no one will take you seriously.

The difference between twelve years and twelve years and a few weeks, is negligible, thus making your, and your fellow sob sisters', protestations in favor a few more weeks, fatuous.

International democracy, based on one man- one vote, without a constitution and checks and balances, would simply be mob rule, write large. I pray your version of utopia never comes to pass.

"Had Bush been willing to wait, he would eventually have had a true world majority on his side. As it is, he's given every tinpot dictator a justification to invade his neighbor whenever he feels "threatened". Not to mention the boost he's given Bin Laden's recruiting efforts."

As if a tinpot dictator has ever needed a justification to invade a neighbor. The only calculation they make is, "Can they get away with it or not?"

As is the Arabs would have been delighted to support the war against Iraq, if only we had waited "a few more weeks". Many Muslims hate the USA because of religious hatred whipped up by their fundamentalist mullahs. The way to put a kink in Laden's recruiting efforts is to kick the hell out of Iraq, thus demonstrating our resolve and determination not to be intimidated. These people will not love us, but we can make sure that they fear and respect us, and that is good enough.