AMERICA ON THE VERGE. (cover story)

UNITED States; IRAQ

In his State of the Union address last week, U.S. President George W. Bush set the clock ticking toward a confrontation with Iraq. 'America will not accept a serious and mounting threat to our country, our friends and our allies,' the President warned. 'If Saddam Hussein does not fully disarm, for the safety of our people, and for the peace of the world, we will lead a coalition to disarm him.' Colin Powell, the U.S. secretary of state, is scheduled to appear before the UN Security Council on Feb. 5, to make what is being characterized as a final appeal for the blessing of the United Nations. Coalition partners are being lined up. Hostilities could begin within weeks. At Fort Bragg preparations are well under way. More than 14,000 troops have already been ordered to the Gulf region, and others are getting ready. The White House has already begun the work of building a coalition, and spent much of last week lobbying allies, including Canada, to get on board regardless of the UN Security Council. The timing of the decision by France's Jacques Chirac and Germany's Gerhard Schroder to speak out against the war option three weeks ago deeply angered Bush, and the administration is letting it be known that it will stand firm against nations that erect roadblocks to its aggressive effort to disarm Saddam Hussein.