Looks like the big boys in Washington have to wait a wee bit longer to launch their new product line, i.e 'War against Iraq'.

There have been serious glitches in their attempts to "sell" their war to Russia, Germany and France; for that matter, to the wide majority of the international community. The doves are firmly against the impending war with Iraq, and to make matters worse; yesterday, France, Germany and Belgium blocked Nato's plan to strenghten Turkish defences in the event of a war.

Well, as expected Washington was frothing at the mouth when it heard the news.

How about the "good cop" that Washington sent to UN a few days ago; to help convince the sceptics? Personally, I thought Colin Powell did more damage to his own credibilty and stature.

His main evidence presented to the UN of a satellite photo alleging that Saddam is producing chemical weapons was refuted when it's discovered that the area is outside the controll of Saddam; it is in the northern Kurdish region protected by US and British planes. What is even more bizzare is that the area had been under US surveillance for months and the alleged chemical weapons producing camp could have been destroyed by the US in o­ne of its many recent bombing runs.

We also heard Saddam's alleged ties to al-Qaeda from Powell. Both intelligence in Washington and London have found little evidence of this. The British intelligence flatly stated that there were no ties btween Iraq and al-Qaeda.

OK, then how about the Islamic fundamentalist group Ansar al-Islam; Powell linked this group to Saddam, right? Well, that evidence didn't stand either; 20 foreign reporters finally got to visit the camp of Ansar al-Islam in the northern Kurdish region. What they found there is no surprise; a collection of dilapidated buildings. It's not even that; if you happened to watch the report o­n BBC over the weekend, you'd know what I mean. The "buildings" were a collection of shacks without indoor plumbing, and hardly any evidence of terrorist activities or that they are producing "weapons of mass destruction."

As if that that's not enough embarrassment; another bit of intelligence touted by Powell as a "fine piece" of British intelligence report, turned out to be largely plagiarised from a postgraduate student in California.

Adding further to the wound, was the discovery that the plagiarised intelligence report relied o­n 12-year-old data!

The world at large remains unconvinced that a preemptive strike is necessary to disarm Saddam Hussein of his suspected "weapons of mass destruction".

With half of the world population living o­n less than US$2 a day, and another billion people living o­n less than a US$1 day; you would think that the big boys in Washington and London would be more passionate in fighting global poverty than they do for war. Instead, we're witnessing a bunch of "chickenhawks" throwing their weight and tantrum around for an unjustified war, and a war that the US can't afford to wage.

With the country's budget deficit bursting at the seams, there could be more economic turmoil down the road.

Gee, thanks for nothing, Dubya!