WORD OF THE DAY
Zero Tolerance: The policy or practice of not tolerating undesirable behavior, such as violence or illegal drug use, especially in the automatic imposition of severe penalties for first offenses.

COUNTDOWN TO OBSTRUCTION, SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES AND ZERO TOLERANCE

Saddam Hussein convened a special session of the Iraqi parliament on November 11th to put a public front on a decision to allow the return of UN weapons inspectors. Iraq has until Friday November 15th to accept the terms of the resolution, which was passed unanimously by the UN Security Council last Friday. By December 8th, Iraq must provide a full list of its biological, chemical and nuclear weapons programmes or suffer "serious consequences". Mr Hussein faces "zero tolerance", says Condoleezza Rice, America's national security adviser. Read more at The Economist

Iraqi lawmakers in turn denounced the tough, new UN resolution on weapons inspections Monday as dishonest, provocative and worthy of rejection--- despite the risk of war. But parliament said it ultimately will trust whatever President Saddam Hussein decides. (Now there is a shock and revelation for those of you inquiring into the mechanisms of Iraqi democracy)...

Parliament speaker Saadoun Hamadi said the resolution was stacked with "ill intentions", "falsehood", "lies" and "dishonesty." Salim al-Koubaisi, head of parliament's foreign relations committee, recommended rejecting the resolution but also advised deferring to the "wise Iraqi leadership" to act as it sees fit to defend Iraq's people and dignity. "The committee advises ... the rejection of Security Council Resolution 1441, and to not agree to it in response to the opinions of our people, who put their trust in us," Mr. al-Koubaisi told fellow lawmakers.

Sounds like SOMEBODY is not being taken too seriously.

According to the Arab NewsArab League chief Amr Moussa said he would ask UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday to include Arab nationals on the arms inspection teams to boost the credibility of their mission. "Having Arab inspectors or observers would enhance the credibility of the inspections," Moussa said. "I understood that out of the 250 members" of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, "there are only four Arabs, all translators; there are no Arabs among the inspectors," he added.

For shame. Why don't we just let the Iraqis create their OWN arms inspections and we'll just believe whatever it is they tell us.

The Washington Post and the New York Times, quoting senior US officials, reported that the plan for military action against Iraq envisioned an offensive by land, sea and air, seizing much of the country and isolating Saddam's most loyal forces, in the hopes the government would quickly collapse.