Both the military and the spooks are opposed to war on Iraq.

Why now? The question is of course being asked by those opposed to a war against Iraq, and those who have not made up their minds. But it has also been asked by one of the most senior Whitehall officials at the centre of the fight against terrorism. The message was clear: the threat posed by Islamist extremists is much greater than that posed by Saddam Hussein. And it will get worse when the US …

…dispute over the marginal excess range of Iraq's Samoud 2 missiles only highlights the weakness of the US-British argument. Saddam may believe he has nothing to gain by cooperating fully with UN inspectors if the Bush administration has already decided to invade, whatever concessions he makes. But those advocating war have yet to make anything like a convincing case for military action. Sources: http://www.vremya.ru http://www.nytimes.com http://www.guardian.co.uk