US: In a televised address this evening, President Bush will present the full range of his arguments for war against Iraq, with emphasis on a new rationale - the danger of an attack on the US like that of September 11th if action is not taken quickly, writes Conor O'Clery, North America Editor
On a visit to New Hampshire at the weekend, Mr Bush warned that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein must be disarmed before he could inflict "massive and sudden horror" on America.
The Iraqi leader had a "horrible history" of attacking his enemies first, Mr Bush told hundreds of cheering police and National Guardsmen. "We cannot ignore history, we must not ignore reality. We must do everything we can to disarm this man before he hurts one single American."
The President's address to the nation comes as the administration steps up pressure on Congress and the United Nations for authority to use force against Baghdad.
Mr Bush spent the weekend at his parents' home in Kennebunkport, Maine, working with top advisers on the speech, which went through several drafts, officials said.
On a brief foray into New Hampshire on Saturday, Mr Bush rehearsed his case against Iraq, emphasising Saddam's alleged manufacture of weapons of mass destruction, his contacts with terrorists and his oppression of his own people, including torture.
In his weekly radio address the same day, Mr Bush added the warning that "delay, indecision and inaction are not options for America, because they could lead to massive and sudden horror". He appealed to listeners to call their members of Congress to pass a resolution giving him authority to use force against Iraq to help persuade members of the UN Security Council to back a tough new resolution.
"By supporting the resolution now before them, members of Congress will send a clear message to Saddam: his only choice is to fully comply with the demands of the world and the time for that choice is limited," Mr Bush said.
The senate and house of representatives will this week debate and most likely pass a resolution giving Mr Bush authority to take all necessary means against Iraq, but some leading senate Democrats remain sceptical.
"Pre-emptive strikes are something we have to take very, very seriously and carefully," the senate majority leader, Mr Tom Daschle, told CNN. "Number one, what kind of a standard does it set for the rest of the world? If it's OK for us, is it OK for India? How about Russia? How about Israel?"
Washington has yet to persuade other permanent members of the Security Council to back a new resolution setting deadlines for Baghdad to prove it has no weapons of mass destruction. On Saturday, the Russian Foreign Minister, Mr Igor Ivanov, said the return of inspectors to Iraq should not be delayed.
Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported yesterday that US intelligence officials believed the US military build-up against Iraq, now at an advanced stage, would encourage Iraqi army officers to stage a coup against Saddam rather than face death in a fight against superior military technology.