Just the fact's ma'am:

Claim: Saddam harbors al Qaida Fact: Despite the Bush administration's attempts to find any since 9/11, US intelligence admits there isn't any evidence to support this claim.

Claim: Saddam is a terrorist because he gives financial aid to the Palestinians Fact: So does the US, the whole EU, and our "ally" Saudi Arabia

Claim: Saddam has weapons of mass destruction and will blow us all up Fact: No credible expert, including Rolf Ekeus, believes Iraq has this capability now. Fact: The only evidence that Iraq has a biological or chiemical warfare stockpile are precursor chemicals that inspectors couldn't find (but believed were there) between 1991 and 1998, and may or may not be able to be used for chemical and biological warfare. Fact: The US is one of the chief violators of the Biological and Toxins Weapons Convention of 1972 which we are accsing Saddam or (maybe) violating. To be fair, practically everyone that signed this treaty violates it. But the US fought tooth and nail in 1995 to prevent any kind of enforcement practices -- would we could use as leverage over Iraq.

Claim: Iraq is a threat to it's neighbors Fact: Iraq has made peace with the Arab League, sent envoys to for arch-enemy Iran, and has been renewing diplomatic relations with the Gulf States and Saudi Arabia. NONE of Saddam's neighbors, including our allies Turkey and Saudi Arabia, support military action against Iraq. Fact: If the US attacks Iraq, Iraq will launch their existing short-range missiles at Israel. Israel's current leadership is unlikely to show the restraint they did during the Gulf War, and Israel WILL (justifiably) fire back, potentially sparking a massive regional war -- upsetting the oil exports we are so desperate to protect.

Claim: Iraq has violated several UN Security Council Resolutions Fact: True. The US has also refused to allow UN chemical and biological inspections. The US has violated more treaties and UN resolutions than any other member nation, and threatening a sovereign nation with war without a specific UN mandate is a violation of international law. Who are we to point fingers? Fact: The impending war has nothing to do with weapons inspections. John Bolton: "Our policy... insists on regime change in Baghdad and that policy will not be altered, whether inspectors go in or not."

Claim: Saddam is "evil" and the US is "good" Fact: Saddam is a blood-thirsty, violent man. Personally, I haven't seen any signs that Dubya is anything less. This kind of naive, simplistic black-hat / white-hat approach to the world is the surest sign that the current resident of the White House is completely inadequate to the task of being a world leader. Lots of folks think the US is the black-hat. Did their perception of that justify the attacks on the USS Cole or the World Trade Center? What does it say about us if we use the same justification to attack anyone we want?