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I was, of course, referring to the REST of the world outside the US. Of course the US administration fully understands that the stakes have now changed.

I can almost imagine the conversation that took place in Baghdad in around 1992. Saddam sat around with his generals lamenting the fact Iraq's conventional weaponary (tanks, planes) was no match for the that of the US. He had chemical and bilogical weapons that he couldn't use in any conventional battle, since the US would use nuclear weapons against Baghdad. What was the solution to this? How could he get America?

The solution was really very, very simple. Attack America in America's home using covert means with plausible deniability.

It's amazing how nobody can grasp this. I watched Ted Koppel interviwing Eagleburger last night. Ted's a smart guy, actually. He said to Eagleburger "What if we go to war with Iraq, and Iraq has chemical and biological weapons already pre-positioned in America"? Eagleburger replied "It's possible but extremely unlikley."

Unlikley? You've got to be kidding. It's much, much easier to imagine that 20 terrorists would be willing to disperse anthrax covertly (and walk away after doing it), than it is to imagine 20 terrorists would hijack 4 planes and commit suicide by flying them into buildings. The logistics are child's play compared to the logistics of hijacking planes.

People are on total denial that it could even be possible that this could happen. It's really quite frightening.

Yes. Part of what happened is that reliable missile technology proved harder to develop than one might have imagined, so they started looking for alternative delivery mechanisms. We've seen four already (jetliners as missiles, anthrax in the mail, suicide bombers, and large bombs on trucks and ships).

Even though, as you say, the U.S. administration understands the new strategic issues, the U.S.'s unwillingness to acknowledge the situation publicly is preventing many, both in the U.S. and abroad, from comprehending the serious changes that are occurring in the world. I'm hoping that the upcoming dossier (on Iraq's WMD) that both U.K. and U.S. officials have referred to will correct this. But I have the feeling that it won't go far enough in doing so.

It's amazing how nobody can grasp this. I watched Ted Koppel interviwing Eagleburger last night. Ted's a smart guy, actually. He said to Eagleburger "What if we go to war with Iraq, and Iraq has chemical and biological weapons already pre-positioned in America"? Eagleburger replied "It's possible but extremely unlikley."

After all, bad things never happen to good people. Every cloud has a silver lining. It's always darkest before the dawn.

Can I have my Ovaltine now?