" 'This is a sad day for the United Nations,' Annan said. 'I know that millions of people around the world share this sense of disappointment and are deeply alarmed.' " [more]

"As the deadline for the war on Iraq drew closer Wednesday, some 300 people demonstrated in Manhattan against a U.S. invasion and called on others to leave work and school to increase the voice of protest." [more]

"Some of the biggest rallies this month have endorsed President Bush's strategy against Saddam Hussein, and the common thread linking most of them is Clear Channel Worldwide Inc., the nation's largest owner of radio stations." [more]

"Again and again, Westerners have moved into the Mideast with confidence that they can impose freedom and modernity through military force. Along the way they have miscalculated support for their invasions, both internationally and in the lands they occupy. They have anointed cooperative minorities to help rule resentful majorities. They have been mired in occupations that last long after local support has vanished. They have met with bloody uprisings and put them down with brute force." [more]

"Even minimal casualties and devastation will not justify overturning international norms that have prevailed for sixty years." [more]

"According to recent unpublicized U.S. Army War College studies being read with increasing interest by some Pentagon planners, 'The possibility of the United States winning the war and losing the peace in Iraq is real and serious.' " [more]

"Appeals for continued diplomatic engagement with Baghdad were summarily dismissed by the United States ambassador to the United Nations." [more]

"An invasion was now certain, White House aides said, even if Saddam and his sons fled at the last minute. In that case, the American forces would still enter Iraq to assure order, find and destroy banned weapons, help rebuild, and lay the foundations for a new government." [more]

"Today the world may have reached a defining geopolitical moment similar to the late 1940s, when the East-West alignment that characterized the cold war emerged from the chaos of World War II." [more]

"The first signs were an air raid siren followed by antiaircraft fire and loud explosions over the city that appeared to be bombs. The antiaircraft fire appeared to be ineffective, striking at low altitude over the city." [more]

"France and Germany have spoken out against war with Iraq at a meeting of the UN Security Council, just hours before the American deadline for Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq expires." [more]

"Given how continually Bush plays the fear card, we might acknowledge that Americans have some reasons for fear. And then make clear that reckless zealotry and a willingness to make entire populations expendable does nothing to bring real security." [more]