Former CIA Director R. James Woolsey

"As to dealing with al-Qaeda, Woolsey suggested the conflict will be protracted.

"We will have to deal with them in their lairs. It will be a long and bloody conflict lasting years, perhaps decades," he said.

"We've got to get busy," Woolsey advised, noting that only an aggressive policy will keep things from going from "bad to catastrophic." He described al-Qaeda as a canny and dangerous enemy."

Blair hints Iraq action unavoidable

""What we should learn from that is that if there is a gathering threat or danger, let us deal with it before it materialises, rather than afterwards," he said."

Britain plans mass reservist call-up, increasing pressure on Iraq

"Britain's defence ministry is planning a mass mobilisation of key reservists from September, The Daily Telegraph reported, calling the move a heightening of preparations for an attack on Iraq.

Britain has also decided to withdraw 1,500 troops from NATO's rapid reaction force, freeing them from two major exercises this autumn in Germany and Ukraine, the newspaper said.

The decision to pull the troops was taken last month, the same time the government announced that Britain is withdrawing its 1,700 Royal Marines from Afghanistan, it added.

In addition, 3,000 members of Britain's main fighting force, 1 (UK) Armoured Division, have been withdrawn from a tank exercise in Poland"

French sources: U.S. to attack Iraq 'soon'

"The U.S. operation to topple Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein will take place in the coming months, even before November's Congressional elections, according to high-level sources in the French government."

Mock battle in SoCal and Nevada to test battle technology

"Over three weeks, troops will play out a scenario that echoes real-world events involving simulated weapons of mass destruction, urban warfare, the United Nations and humanitarian relief"

Wolfowitz trip hints at date of Iraq campaign

" The impression Wolfowitzâs left is that the timing will likely be in January or February 2003, following US congressional elections."

 

It could be dis-information though.

Guardian: PM and Bush plan Iraq war summit

"Many Gulf states fear that a war in Iraq would destabilise the entire region. To reduce the risk of plunging the Middle East into chaos, Pentagon planners are believed to favour a campaign based on swift 'surgical strikes' by special forces and precision missiles aimed at incapacitating Saddam.
The planners have decided they will have 48 hours to find and kill or capture Saddam before he tries to deploy any nuclear, biological or major conventional weapons he may have. "

israelinsider: Banker takes on guard duties in Jenin

""When the World Trade Center was in flames, I wasn't able to save any lives. But if while I am here, doing reserve duty in the army, I can save even one life, it will be as if I have saved the whole world." Merrill Lynch executive Alan Leventen, who came to Israel to volunteer with the Israel Defense Forces this week in the Jenin area, says he'll keep coming back to Israel to help as long as his knees hold up. "

DEBKAfile: US Builds New Jumping off Base in Eritrea

"The dusty streets of this East African corner have recently filled with white American vans dashing around without license plates but recognizable as military vehicles from their sprouting antennae."

Independent: America rattles Saddam's cage hoping he will lash out in anger

"Amid an almost deafening public indifference, hardly a day goes by without a new report or disclosure suggesting that a US attack, at the end of this year or early next, is a virtual certainty."

 

I don't think he'd be foolish enough to lash out, but you never know.

Yahoo! News - Iraq Says Seven Hurt in U.S., British Attack

""At 10:00 local time warplanes of the evil American and British administrations flew 30 sorties over several southern Iraqi places using air bases in Kuwait," the spokesman said in a statement carried by the official Iraqi News Agency."

 

I wonder what they were targeting? Could it have been anti aircraft, or command and control?

Yahoo! News - 800 World Trade Victims May Never Be Identified

""As you recall, those fires burned for months afterward," Hirsch said, leaving many bone samples in ashes as if they had been cremated.
So far, 1,229 have been identified, or about 44 percent. Dental X-rays, fingerprints and personal belongings were helpful for many of the positive identifications, but now Hirsch and his staff rely mainly on DNA analysis."

DEBKAfile, Political Analysis, Espionage, Terrorism Security

"Ukrainian Aviator Confirms Israeli El Al Pilotâs Report of Mysterious Ground-to-Air Missile in Ukrainian Airspace Thursday"

 

No other details, but another El Al jet was shot down, by 'mistake' by the Ukrainians several months ago. Maybe, they're paid by bin Laden to do so? The story from BBC.

UK: we will use nukes first

DEFENCE chiefs are drawing up plans for a "first strike" strategy using nuclear weapons.
For the first time Britain could use battlefield nuclear weapons against enemy troops and terrorist targets.

Oh yes, what troops are these then? Who do you have in mind?
Armies with chemical and biological weapons would be hit with short range "tactical" nuclear missiles.

Oh, you mean Iraq. Why didn't you say that then in this 'testing the water' article.
Small nuclear bombs would also be targeted on heavy bunkers and deep cave complexes like the ones used by al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.

And Sadam's bunkers. I know he scurries down these at times of trouble, and never sleeps in the same house more than once, just like the fugitives from war crimes charges in the former Yugoslavia, and they've done well out of that - very difficult to pin them down in order to arrest them. So, nuking possible houses or bunkers that may or may not hold Sadam... Well, that holds more water.
US defence experts have been ordered to start the rapid development of new weapons.

Doh, they already have bunker buster nukes.
A senior Westminster source told the Daily Mirror the Ministry of Defence was also planning for their use.

Monkey see, monkey do.
He said: "If you are dealing with forces with weapons of mass destruction and the willingness to use them, then we also need to look at new sorts of weapons technology.
"Destroying deep cave complexes can take huge amounts of manpower and military force."
They thought the non nuke bunker busters would get bin Laden, and were wrong, he was too deep, or his steel doors too air tight.
Donald Anderson, chairman of the Commons foreign affairs committee, called for Ministers to come clean about the proposals.
He said: "The development of a new generation of tactical nuclear weapons in response to the terrorist threat would have implications for arms control policy."

Arms control? Don't be silly, there is no arms control. I see Egypt has bought 24 from North Korea. Sadam has built his own missiles, and is trying to get/build nuke war heads. There really isn't any arms control. Those with the muscle now have to force countries into not ever having nukes, or else, hence the US's stance on Sadam.
There was an argument for updating the nuclear strike policy from the Cold War era, when two sides faced each other with massive arsenals.
But he said: "If it is to be revised it needs to be done with full public debate, not by a few mandarins talking among themselves."
He was backed by a report from his committee.
The all-party group said: "The Government must state clearly what is its policy on the first use of nuclear weapons."

Grow up people, the decision has already been made. Now, all they are doing is spinning the public.
Labour anti-war cam- paigner Alice Mahon said: "This is madness. It will cross a threshold which is totally and completely unacceptable.

Bin Laden's mad muslims will do anything to wipe London or New York off the map. Is this madness? Is this a threshold? Is this completely acceptable?
"It will give the green light to the rest of the world to get in on the nuclear action and develop their own weapons."

Errr... Hello! And good morning, how was your sleep?
She warned that the move will spark a massive rebellion at the party conference in October.
Her Halifax party was planning to put in a motion warning against adopting a new nuclear policy and she expected "dozens and dozens" more to flow in to party HQ. Carol Naughton, chairwoman of CND, said: "The adoption of a first strike strategy, potentially with nuclear weapons, is a very disturbing development."

It's a very disturbing world, when you bother to look around.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon had spelled out the position in the Commons two weeks ago.
Mr Hoon said then: "There has been no change in the essential rules we follow on the use of nuclear weapons.
"They would be used in only what are described as extreme conditions of self-defence ... proportionately and consistently with our obligations in international law."
Mr Hoon caused anger this year when he said Britain would be ready to use its long range nuclear weapons against Iraq.

There you go, told you it had already been decided.
In March it was revealed that US President George Bush had ordered a "nuclear posture review".
He wants battlefield nuclear weapons to be developed within three years to attack deep underground facilities beyond the reach of conventional weapons.
Low yield nuclear warheads could also be used against buried stockpiles of chemical or biological weapons.

Pentagon ducks question in open session on Egypt's missiles

"in the late 1980s he dealt with Egypt's attempted import of missile engines from Argentina. "Now we have reports of Egyptian purchases of No-Dong missile engines from North Korea," Kirk said. "You obviously know how seriously we would take a move of that nature by the armed forces of Egypt. I don't know if you can comment on that publicly, or anything that you can say, because it obviously rattled some nerves on Capitol Hill.""