You heard it first It's on. Iraq stupidly got rid of their last chance to prevent battle.

IRAQ promised a war 'with losses that have not been sustained for decades' yesterday when it defiantly rejected the wording of a new hardline UN resolution that both Britain and the United States are confident will be passed this week. In the diplomatic calm before the storm, senior US and UK officials will today report back to London and Washington on their last-minute missions to Moscow and Paris. Their aim was to ensure that when the resolution goes before the UN Security Council, possibly tomorrow or Tuesday, there will be no surprise use of veto power by any of the permanent members. Although the wording of the US-sponsored resolution may go through some changes over the next 48 hours, with security council members fighting for their own agenda, the fact it has been made public points to a new-found confidence in the US and UK camps that they have persuaded the Russians, the French and the Chinese to deal with Iraq their way. The UN yesterday released full details of the proposed resolution, which would give Saddam Hussein only seven days to accept or face military action using 'using all necessary means'. Iraq would also be forced to reveal -- within 30 days -- full details of potential nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. Unconditional access must be given to all locations, including Saddam's eight presidential palaces . For those hoping that conflict with Saddam Hussein could be avoided, the picture is not good. All diplomatic indications are that war with Iraq now looks inevitable.

Doesn't that initial quote remind you of the "mother of all battles" line? Well, I guess the debate's over. The hawks win, and Bush wins, because applying pressure got Hussein to crack and blink first. It's also a stay-of-execution for the UN, which will no longer be forced to confront the question of whether it actually wants to enforce its strictures.