No military timetable should compel war when a successful outcome, namely a disarmed Iraq may be feasible without war, for example by allowing more time to the UN inspectors.

Our motives (for war against Iraq) are becoming mixed as extra motives are thrown into the pot.

We, Britain and Germany, can neither of us be happy about our handling of the Iraq war.

It was essentially for self defence that we went to war in Afghanistan and would go to war in Iraq.

but they are a good start. Operation Offset, for example, steers away from cutting Cold War weapon systems at the Department of Defense. Military spending is already half of all discretionary spending, so it is not time to take any of the nation's budgetary choices off the table. Literally, we need to count all the federal dollars hiding in every agency couch cushion or we will never come up with the money to offset the Katrina costs.

The Year of the Dog is a year of strong fire. That represents hill fires, for example, and military conflicts.