[nutmeg]

It would be easy to turn a blind eye to Iraq's defiance of 1441 and hope that things will improve, but we know from history that we cannot do that... Secy Powell has given us a solid presentation of the facts... Saddam must be left in no doubt of the serious consequences he is in... UK does not want war, but the situation may leave us no choice..

More info to come Feb 14... This is a moment of choice for Saddam and the Iraqi regime... also a moment of choice for the UN...

In the past, small evils slipped thru the cracks... Some of us called for action to stop the evil before it grew... Good men said WAIT... the evil is not big enough to challenge... then the evil went unchecked and grew out of control... we owe it to history not to make that mistake again.

--My paraphrase of some of UK Foreign Secy Jack Straw's words a moment ago.

[Howlin]

CBS Radio says France wants "proof" of what Powell said.