Just the facts, ma'am

"If we must begin a military campaign it will be directed to lawless men who direct your country and not at you [Iraqi citizens]."

FACT: Bush plans to use a "shock and awe" method, which includes firing 800 missiles into Baghdad in the first 48 hours of war. That's one missile every four minutes, night and day, into the most heavily populated city in Iraq. The mass killing of civilians is not only possible; it's imminent.

"We will tear down the apparatus of terror and we will help you to build a new Iraq that is prosperous and free . . . The day of your liberation is near."

FACT: Bush said the same thing about Afghanistan, a country that is now ten times worse than before we attacked it. Bush said America would help Afghanistan with food, medicine, and military protection after the Taliban was removed. We provided none of those things, and warlords are now in control of the country, bringing more death and misery than ever before. Liberation indeed.

"The danger is clear: Using chemical, biological or, one day, nuclear weapons obtained with the help of Iraq, the terrorists could fulfill their stated ambitions and kill thousands or hundreds of thousands of innocent people in our country or any other."

FACT: North Korea is currently creating plutonium in their nuclear reactors, a key component to weapons of mass destruction. With no inspectors or American military in the country, and with poverty and starvation a widespread problem there, North Korea would likely jump at the chance to sell plutonium to terrorists. Bush has ignored this problem, refusing to even speak to North Korea's leaders. Iraq, on the other hand, hasn't had a working nuclear plant in decades, and inspectors haven't even found a trace of weapons of mass destruction. All they've found are "illegal" missiles, though in a test of this particular type of missile, only 13 of the 40 test missiles were able to travel far enough to be considered illegal.

"America tried to work with the United Nations to address this threat because we wanted to resolve the issue peacefully. We believe in the mission of the United Nations."

FACT: Even before the passing of resolution 1441, Bush was voicing his distaste for the U.N., and discussing plans to go to war without their approval. Yesterday, Bush refused to even allow the U.N. to vote on the use of force in Iraq, essentially slapping them in the face and disrespecting a council that includes members from every country in the free world.

"The terrorist threat to America and the world will be diminished the moment that Saddam Hussein is disarmed."

FACT: Nearly every terrorism expert in the country has stated that an attack on Iraq will put America in immediate danger. As FBI agent Coleen Rowley said, "We should be deluding neither ourselves nor the American people that there is any way the FBI will be able to stem the flood of terrorism that will likely head our way in the wake of an attack on Iraq."

If you think I'm just some nutcase spewing out anti-war tripe, that's your every right to think so. But Rowley isn't just some nutcase. She was named one of Time Magazine's people of the year for her work making our country stronger against terrorism. But hey, if you don't like Rowley, take it from FBI Director Robert Mueller, who has also said a war with Iraq would put us in more danger.

These are legitimate experts, giving you the legitimate facts. There is no higher American authority on terrorism than Mueller. He's been working with terrorism longer than I've been alive. If you refuse to embrace his facts, you're only fooling yourself. War with Iraq will not make America safer.