At a press conference on January 20, only two days after thousands of Americans marched in cities and towns across the nation to oppose going to war with Iraq, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld warned, "In the case of Iraq, we're nearing the end of the long road and with every other option exhausted." The next day George W. Bush, angered by the French foreign minister's attack on Washington's "impatience" with the inspection process, added, "This looks like a rerun of a bad movie and I'm not interested in watching it."

The Bush Administration has been going hellbent down Rumsfeld's road, ignoring the UN Security Council where not only France but Russia, China, Germany and others favor giving inspections a chance. Turkey, where 90 percent oppose war, is refusing to permit a large US force to launch an invasion from its soil. Ankara is preparing to host a summit meeting of regional powers seeking to pressure Iraq to cooperate with UN inspectors in an effort to head off a war. On the Continent popular opposition to a conflict runs around 70 to 80 percent.

While Rumsfeld accelerates the military buildup in the Gulf, antiwar forces have stepped up the mobilization at home. A quarter of a million or more protesters in Washington, San Francisco and elsewhere carried off the biggest antiwar demonstrations since the Vietnam era. This time national TV and papers across the country gave them full and respectful play. On February 15, more protests will be held here and all over the world.

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