Let me supply Mr. Chirac with some documentation that the Inspector Clouseau in his foreign ministry cannot find.

On Aug. 25, 2002, e-mail went from the director general of CIS Paris to Qilu Chemicals in China regarding a preliminary order: "We are about to have one of our affiliates open a L/C [Letter of Credit] for an initial order of 20,000 kg. of sealant type HTBP-III. . . . The drums should have a label mentioning the nature of the goods, same as your sample: `modified polybatadiene [sic] sealant type III,' it is not necessary that the label shows the name of your company."

In effect, the United States opened the war still looking for a political solution. It sought to kill Hussein and other leaders in the hope that this would lead to a new leadership that would quickly capitulate. In an odd way, this attack appeared to be the final attempt at a non-military solution -- understood as something other than an all-out war.

Somewhat ironically, then, the reason we may never be able to resume the relations we had with Germany, France, and Russia prior to the U.N. debate about Iraq isn't that these countries are deeply offended by Bush's unilateralism, as critics of the administration presume. It's that the president was deeply offended by their cynicism.

Text of a Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate (2) acting pursuant to the Constitution and Public Law 107-243 is consistent with the United States and other countries continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations, or persons who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.

===============================================
Continuous, real-time monitoring, rapid analysis of military and
political developments, combat reports and breaking intelligence
available from Stratfor on its exclusive U.S. Iraq War web site.

Visit this web page for details.
http://www.stratfor.com/promo/?site=usiraq
===============================================

At 1808 GMT (1:08 p.m. EST, 9:08 p.m. Baghdad) B-52 bombers were
reported taking off from RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom.
Flying time to Iraq is about six hours. Earlier today, they were
reportedly loaded with cruise missiles. The British press has
also reported that skirmishing has commenced between Iraqi troops
and U.S. and British special operations forces near Basra.
Coalition aircraft also have attacked 10 Iraqi artillery pieces
in the southern no-fly zone, and Israelis have been ordered to
open and fit their gas masks, keeping them nearby at all times.


War has not yet commenced, but this is a war alert. More
information will be forthcoming as it is available.

Is this coincidence? Nations which rely on navies usually build them to support and defend world trade; it represents a fundamentally different attitude about the world.

The accounts Indict has heard over the past six years are disgusting and horrifying. Our task is not merely passively to record what we are told but to challenge it as well, so that the evidence we produce is of the highest quality. All witnesses swear that their statements are true and sign them.
For these humanitarian reasons alone, it is essential to liberate the people of Iraq from the regime of Saddam. The 17 UN resolutions passed since 1991 on Iraq include Resolution 688, which calls for an end to repression of Iraqi civilians. It has been ignored. Torture, execution and ethnic-cleansing are everyday life in Saddam’s Iraq.

Europe is in the thralls of a major identity crisis. No longer able or willing to justify the continued existence of its nation states, it seeks to overcome them through the simplistic and intellectually slipshod construction of the EU. But as it stands, not a single European, be he intellectual, politician, journalist or archbishop can provide a shred of a rational reason as to why the EU deserves to see the light of day. Unfortunately, the EU benefits from this malaise as the European public is distracted with hopes of economic security and the enjoyment of perpetual though banal peace. There is a combination of numbed indifference and anxious frustration in Europe. To a large degree this accounts for the current rift between the US and Europe.

Part of the problem for NPR and for many listeners who look to us to reinforce their opinions is the range of "acceptable" opinion. Radio is a unique and intensely personal medium. People listen, in my opinion, in order to recognize an aural landscape that they know and feel is theirs. When they hear ideas or voices with which they disagree, they can feel a sense of betrayal.

That puts NPR in an awkward position. As an audio companion, NPR needs to remain recognizable to its listeners; but as a news service, it needs to present a range of opinions that reflects reality -- no matter how uncomfortable that reality may be.

Still, it was hard for CIA Director George J. Tenet to hide his optimism when asked during an encounter in the hallways of his headquarters last week whether he felt the agency had turned a corner in its effort to dismantle al Qaeda with Mohammed's arrest.
"It's a very, very big deal," he said. "He and the material he was apprehended with are extremely useful. It will . . . no, I can't say anything else."
With an exuberant swing of the arms and torso, and a big, wide smile, Tenet added, "It's a big deal," before scooting off down the white marble halls.