Slate -- Drop Dead Date - When Saddam lies, will the bombs fly? By Fred Kaplan

Slate points out that the next step toward war is with the Security Council. However, Kaplan worries that something "spectacular" is coming.

International politics practically demands that war with Iraq be legitimized by the United Nations. Yet short of some spectacular event, the United Nations is becoming an increasingly implausible trigger. And so, if Bush and his top advisers truly regard Dec. 8 as a landmark date, then we should all get ready, very soon now, for a spectacular event.