Dear Melanie (Gretchen),

The war will begin at midnight on Sunday (the night between Sunday and Monday). That is because there is very little civilian activity in the cities (especially Baghdad) at that time (as opposed to Friday or Saturday night). The Security Council is scheduled to meet on Monday. Bush will pre-empt that meeting.*

A clue to the fact that war is now imminent is the fact that Bush just appeared on the screen to say something favorable about the developments concerning the appointment of a Palestinian Prime Minister, as a first step on the road to a new peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians (and all Arabs). The fact that Bush did not so much as utter a single word on the topic of Iraq indicates that the President has decided that it is time to ‘walk the walk’ instead of ‘talk the talk’.

I wonder if you will be able to denounce the war for Clarion readers before the first bomb falls?

Dear Republican Guard: Watch out for MOAB!!!

Yours,Walter Grundon

* It is possible that Bush will wait until around 2-3 PM New York time on Monday (around midnight Monday evening Baghdad time), i.e., while the Security Council meeting is in progress, so that the President can appear on the screen on CNN, BBC, etc., to announce that the first cruise missiles have just been fired. If the President is at all interested in pleasing me, then he will choose this moment so that it coincides with the French-ambassador-to-the-UN’s address to the Security Council (what joy that would bring!).