Check out Michael Walzer's op-ed in today's New York Times. Whichever way the Security Council debate goes, the UN's got its work cut out... No matter how noble de Villepen's intentions may be, France is not going to win this debate simply because the US has more guns (and more guns in the Gulf) than anyone else. I don't think the UN should just let the slide toward war continue unopposed, but the SC should face the practical reality of the Iraq situation - its best chance to stay "relevant" given Bush's unrelenting blockheadedness about war is to formulate a postwar strategy that won't drop the ball on Iraq the same way the US virtually dropped Afghanistan.

And another thing... what's with all the French-bashing? Yeah I've been known to call them "cheese eating surrender monkeys" in my day, but destroying French wine among other boycott actions is just stupid... If this continues, we'll have forefited the right to be morally indignant whenever we see news pictures of Palestinians or Iranians or Koreans burning the US flag. Turnabout is fair play.