Bush is really pissed that he was stupid enough to go with the UN weapon inspection plan. He wants to invade now but he can't do it without looking bad. Here is the current conversation: US: Go find the stuff. We have a list of hiding places. Inspectors: We looked there. Didn't find anything. US: You fools! We know they are there! We have a better list of places where we know the weapons are kept! Inspectors: Then tell us. US: We can't tell you. It would.. er.. compomise security (yeah, that's the ticket). But he has dealt a big blow to Iraq by getting France and Russia to sit on the sidelines. Iraq just told the Russian oil company Lukoil to take a hike in retaliation, which may just make the Russians even more indifferent. But I have to wonder how much we have left after giving cuts of the war booty to all those interest groups to make them see our way. As the latest entry to the World's Biggest Waste of Time contest, the various Iraqi opposition groups are right now meeting in London to decide how to run the country after we take it over. I guess they actually think that, without lifting a finger to help us and without any popular support in Iraq itself, we will give them the nation and all its wealth after using our blood and treasure to take it from Saddam. It is to laugh.
I'm gonna play self-interested American (they don't exist in this country after all ) here and hope this happens and the economy tanks as a result (again) but that I keep my job. It'll get so bad that a moderate from a non-racist party becomes the next corporate boss.
> I really hope you're joking. What, you actually think we are going to turn the nation over to characters like Ahmad Chalabi, who has zero constituency in Iraq? Or former Iraqi general Najeb al Salhi? Or someone from the Iranian backed "Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq" who were slaughtered when the US told them to rebel and are now living amid birth-defect inducing depleted uranium as a thank you? Or worst of all the Kurds? Well find some nice rich guy that speaks English and dressed well. He won't have any connection to any group so as not to offend anyone.
My guess about the inspectors -- thir primary utility is to keep Saddam from attacking Smericna forces until the day of the invasion. As long as they are in Iraq, there is less chance that the Iraqis can attack American forces massing on its borders.
Iraq is virtually defenseless. Saddam might be crazy but not crazy enough to use mass destruction weapons so close to home or any kind of nerve gas for that matter. If he would, it would be the end of civilization in the ME. Didn't Bush promise to use nuclear weapons in retaliation? If so I reckon it would be about one week, 5 A-bombs... and peace at last.