Chirac pledges to veto new resolution

Tony Blair's options for going to war on Iraq were shrinking last night after Jacques Chirac publicly pledged that France would veto an early second United Nations resolution explicitly authorising military action.
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Turkey stalls vote for US troops

American hopes of preparing a northern front against Saddam Hussein were dealt a fresh blow yesterday when the Turkish government delayed a parliamentary vote authorising US troop deployments.
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This one is of particular interest to me. My son-in-law is sitting in Germany, with bags packed, waiting to move into Turkey. My daughter Jenny flew back to Germany Sunday to see him before he left. He was to have gone to Korea in March when he would have taken some leave to see Jenny. That's off until Iraq is over.

Behind the Great Divide
by Paul Krugman

There has been much speculation why Europe and the U.S. are suddenly at such odds. Is it about culture? About history? But I haven't seen much discussion of an obvious point: We have different views partly because we see different news.

Let's back up. Many Americans now blame France for the chill in U.S.- European relations. There is even talk of boycotting French products.

But France's attitude isn't exceptional. Last Saturday's huge demonstrations confirmed polls that show deep distrust of the Bush administration and skepticism about an Iraq war in all major European nations, whatever position their governments may take. In fact, the biggest demonstrations were in countries whose governments are supporting the Bush administration.
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The Weapon We Gave Iraq

Since U.S. President George W. Bush put Saddam Hussein on notice that the "game is over," a countdown to a military intervention in Iraq appears to have begun. This prospect has heightened concerns from the allied veterans of the last war in the Persian Gulf, many of whom still suffer from serious health problems that they believe resulted from exposure to depleted uranium.
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The 220,00 Casualties No One Speaks About

The major media will talk about holes in the Administration case on Iraq, weaknesses in the accusations about Halabja, and even occasionally an article about sufferings of Iraqi civilians. What they won't talk about is the huge number of U.S. casualties from our first Gulf War.
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For a little comic relief: These Weapons of Mass Destruction cannot be displayed

Peace on the Beach

  thanks to Politics in the Zeros