HOW'S THIS FOR PRESCIENCE?

 The Guardian reported the following six weeks and two days ago:

Saddam gets six more weeks
Blair gains extra time to win over waverers

Patrick Wintour and Julian Borger in Washington
Saturday February 1, 2003
The Guardian

Tony Blair and George Bush yesterday agreed to give the UN weapons inspectors and the intelligence agencies as long as six weeks to persuade a sceptical France and Arab countries to come on board for military action against Iraq.

Meanwhile, Armed Prophet blogged:

Tony Blair tells George Bush that he can get the holdouts on board in that time. Maybe. Russia and China, very possibly. France? Well, I imagine they will take this as five more weeks until they have to decide. Germany? Forget about it. But if this is accurate, then Bush's accession to Blair's inclusivist position pretty much invalidates the New York Times' allegation of a "race to war"...

Have we any more support? None of the above countries appreciably moved toward a firm stand against Iraq. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has been content to stand aside and a few steps behind France, nodding silently. China, the country with biggest designs on matching the US in the future, has apparently decided that now is not the time for it to raise its voice. Russia has threatened a veto of the newest resolution, but like China, one gets a feeling of reticence rather than open hostility. And as for France, well, at least we know where they stand.

All the while, anti-war sentiments hardened into an anti-war movement -- in European streets, for the most part, but also on the editorial pages of influential newspapers and magazines. North Korea has kept edging toward open hostility. Precious time to deal with that situation has already been lost, and those who would continue with the sanctions/inspections boondoggle would only waste more time.

And how about that 'rush to war'? On that matter, I defer to a column by David Frum, itself already more than a month old.

Six weeks and two days later, we may finally have an answer to the question of 'when.' Perhaps even by later this afternoon or evening.