The cameras are off now. How much time are we giving them? A U-2 plane if flying on Monday and it could be fired on, it's a UN plane, bought and paid for by Ted Turner. This would have serious consequences. For CNN and the US. Suppose we find a cache of these heinous biological and chemical weapons, what would be the environmental consequences of taking them out. Meanshile, Saddam builds a fancy new palace while his people rot. And what about the coalition that Bush put together. Is it still there? And what about the middle east peace process, what will be the impact on this?

This entire business reeks. Don't mean to sound like Lyndon LaRouche, but did you really ever buy the Bush company line re: the reason we didn't take Hussein out the first time? You know, that his military people told him we'd achieved our objectives, it's time to go home, and all of that? Has their EVER been a military type (outside of George McClellan) that didn't want to fight- especially when he's been pretty much kicking ass, and taking names with impunity (even little Mac may have gone for that)? And all this business of, "Would you want me to risk YOUR son, or YOUR daughter to capture Sadaam Hussein?"- doesn't this seem just a wee bit cynical, in light of all the Panamanian sons and daughters (and mothers and fathers) Bush sacrificed to arrest Manuel Noriega?

We're good at picking on weaklings like Grenada and Panama. But what about Saddam and Iraq? What next? The U2 flew over safely today but it's not over yet.

The U.S. electorate somehow thinks Iraq should be bombed into the stone age just because they dare to thumb their nose at the U.S. The U.S. has to work through a coalition of other countries that don't quite get as worked up over Saddam thumbing his nose. Saddam does this to remain popular at home. Getting a coalition together for todays Iraqi threats are much more difficult than when Saddam invaded his neighbor. The issues today, in the eyes of the security council, are more of a shaded gray color than the black and white issues of the past. Saddam, being the cagy dictator he is, knows this. He is selectively singling out only the U.S. members of the UN inspection teams. Divide and conquer--an often successful ploy. Saddam is definately cast in the mold of Hitler, willing to sacrifice lives a will for little apparant reason. There are no easy answers. John

It appears that the crisis in Iraq is now over. Of course--any leader like Saddam that uses "human shields", mercilessly murders thousands of its citizens with nerve gas as well as things we will never know--will always bear keeping a close eye on. This Hitler-like madman will unfortunately be a boil on the face of the world for years to come. What saddens me about this crisis is that Kuwait was dead against any U.S. military involvement. Saudi Arabia was totally silent and offered no U.S. support despite the fact that U.S. troops still "guard" the Saudi's from Iraq. The Arab countries appear to want the U.S. military when there butts are on the line (oops--this doesn't apply to the cowardly Kuwaiti's that left for disco's in Egypt when Saddam invaded) and want the U.S. out of the region all other times. The U.S. military as a paid mercenar for the rich Arab oil producing states is very distasteful. Personally--I find it to be totally un-American for the U.S. to be guarding a group of dictators such as the Saudi Royal Family. John

Well stated and true, unfortunately... Though, judging from our government's intermittant enfatuation with fascists, such behavior may be construed as being somewhat "American"...

Iraq is defying the inspection team again. Are you surprised?

Nope, not at all.

Neither am I. What's keeping Clinton from unleashing the dogs of war?

They off the leash again now...