Change of Plans?

Like most of my high school attempts at dating, Bush hadn’t even asked yet, and already the answer is no:

Iraq on Monday defiantly rejected a U.S. ultimatum for Saddam Hussein to step down or face war, saying President Bush should be the one to leave office.
“The only option (to secure peace) is the departure of the warmonger number one in the world, the failing President Bush who made his country a joke,” Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri told reporters.

Sabri spoke just hours before Bush was due to deliver a speech to the American people in which he was expected to tell Saddam that if he wanted to avoid war he should go into exile.

Sabri’s statement doesn’t exactly relieve a whole lot of tension, does it?

Seriously, though, the question now becomes: Will Bush still make the ultimatum tonight? Almost certainly. Not doing so would be like not asking “Do you want to step outside?” or “You’ve got 30 seconds to tell me why I shouldn’t?” or “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather have the chicken instead of the lobster?”

Some things you do simply because they’re expected. Either that or 72 hours is about what we need to get the last few pieces in place.