Would you prefer that he not "blink". Does your contempt for Bush go so far that you would prefer that he favor war against NK.

There is no true parallel with the Middle East. Saddam is a different kind of animal and he needs to be removed. You also can't know what overtures may have been made by NK in private.

Oil ? Maybe it does play a part. After all, as you frequently point out, war doesn't come cheap. You can have all the military power in the world but without spoils, no nation is rich enough to wage war.

If it was only oil you must know that we could cozy up to Saddam and make more money than we will gain by any war. The very real risk that Saddam will torch the fields tend to offset any gains we might hope for. Isn't that what the Russkies are doing?