The Washington Post is reporting that Has Blix may ask for a deadline for the destruction of those Iraqi missiles. I think the Post's emphasis on the missiles and a proximate causus belli is misguided. The Administration hasn't looked for anything that specific to hang its hat on so far, and it is unlikely to start doing so now. The bill of indictment against Hussein is far broader than a few missiles.

On the other hand, if an excessive focus on those missiles is allowed to develop, it could be the next thing that drags out this mess. The wait for war is dragging the markets and the economy, and is far more wearying than actual fighting of the same duration would have been. The Bush people are smart tacticians, and even strategists, but sometimes they don't seem to have a handle on the psychological effects of their policies on Americans.