Depressing weekend

I am at a loss for understanding why the French and Germans are doing their best to avoid a war to oust Saddam. I am also feeling somewhat depressed at how effective they have been in terms of gaining support from Putin and the Russians. I would have thought that after their most recent experiences with Chechen terrorists in Moscow, the Russians would have been more sympathetic to US efforts to constrain Islamic aggression.

As usual, Steven Den Beste has some great analysis of the latest developments. His bottom line? That the French plan for stepped-up inspections (while not a workable long-term way to prevent Iraqi WMD programs) represents a "credible diplomatic threat" to US efforts to build consensus around the need for military action.