Well thought and well stated CarolC... after this "war" has defined President Bush's first four years in office, and the funds to maintain it have dug deep into the purse of the American consumer -

In 2004 the candidates running against Bush would do well to adopt your criteria as the platform for when the use of force is acceptable.

Or, perhaps...if you had political aspirations of your own? Being President is a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it.

Here's a blast from the past: What if they gave a war and nobody came?