Canada Trying to Bridge the Gap:
"It is obvious to him [Mr. Chrétien] that the UN is pretty damned divided and the consequences of this division, if it persists, is going to be very, very serious," a senior Canadian official said. "The only way we can bridge this 'bomb now or inspect forever' mentality is to say, 'Let's pick a date far enough in the future so we will know if the Iraqis are following through.' " -- from the Toronto Globe & Mail. As Michael Klare suggested, it is becoming obvious to those whose heads are not stuck in the sand that military considerations are driving the Bush timetable, not the degree of Iraqi cooperation or lack of it. This Canadian proposal should make this even clearer, although how far it will penetrate the sand is hard to tell.