[link|http://www.spectator.co.uk/article.php3?table=old§ion=current&issue=2003-01-25&id=2714|Enjoy it while it lasts]

Excerpts:

Despite the fondest hopes of the \ufffdpeace\ufffd movement, the actual war in Iraq will be no more of a \ufffdquagmire\ufffd than Afghanistan was. But this phoney war is already a big boggy quagmire, in which every casus belli is seized on by America\ufffds \ufffdallies\ufffd as a casus for yet another deferment. Hans Blix hasn\ufffdt found anything? See? That proves there\ufffds no need to go to war. What\ufffds that? He\ufffds uncovered some chemical warheads. Well, there you are. That proves the inspections are working. We need to give them more time, see what else he finds...

But the danger is that the longer the phoney war goes on, the more likely it is that the real war gets scaled back, that (as the sign says) Bush does indeed get trimmed. The President has to do something soon not to look ridiculous. That doesn\ufffdt mean that he should do as little as it takes to avoid looking ridiculous. One of the peculiarities of this conflict is that we right-wing crazies are now the idealists and the Left are the realpolitik cynics.