HERE'S WHY NOW:

Blair to order invasion force this month (Richard Norton-Taylor, October 8, 2002, The Guardian)

Tony Blair is expected to order defence chiefs by the end of the month to prepare a significant British force for an attack on Iraq, Whitehall sources said yesterday.

They said that to be "legitimate" such an attack would not necessarily have to be supported by a UN mandate.

Britain's contribution to an American-led invasion of Iraq would be substantial and include heavy armour.

"If things had not moved on by the end of this month I would be very surprised," a senior Whitehall source said, meaning a political decision for a build-up of British forces in the Gulf to begin.

Maybe the war talk isn't just an election ploy, eh? Posted by Orrin Judd at October 8, 2002 9:00 AM