With President George W. Bush mulling over the answers to these crucial questions, I wonder if anyone has thought about what would happen if America decided not to attack Iraq.

If a decision to go to war is not made within the next few days, then it may be too late. Dust storms in Iraq become extremely intense during the month of April. Also, the desert heat would become unbearable for our troops who will be wearing the heavy protective suits and carrying lots of gear. All of this lends itself to the war beginning very, very soon. Or, perhaps, not at all.

What if war is completely averted? What if the anti-war demonstrators have their way? What happens if we donít go to war?

Imagine for a moment that President Bush has decided to abandon his plans to attack Iraq. The anti-war crowd would claim victory and announce that peace won out over violence. They will further add that additional terrorists attacks on the United States have been staved off by ending the call for war. Yet, the utopian attitude of these anti-war (and anti-Bush) protesters towards their view of the world would soon be shattered by what would happen as a result of not going to war.

The first thing that would happen is al Qaeda would become strengthened. Despite the news that America is close to finding Osama bin Laden, the real threat of attacks by them remains. They sincerely believe that the United States is vulnerable and would like nothing more than to prove that by seeing them back down from attacking Iraq. Al Qaeda thinks the United States is afraid of a war that consists of large numbers of ground troops. Since most American military actions in places such as Bosnia, Kosovo and Somalia have been fought with our air prowess, this conflict with Iraq is a legitimate test of that theory.

Even with a resounding victory in Afghanistan last year, there is still a lot to prove. If Bush does not attack Iraq, then al Qaeda and terrorists around the world would be able to make the claim that the United States is afraid of them and do not have the guts to stand up to them. That would give other anti-American nations and terrorists groups the impetus for challenging the United States in the future.

Even worse, since Iraq has numerous weapons of mass destruction (and this point isnít even worth debating if you think otherwise), Saddam Hussein will not hesitate for a moment to sell them to terrorists, if he hasnít already done so. Backing down completely from war with Iraq would be a victory for the terrorists and the threat of even greater attacks against the United States will significantly increase.

As for Saddam Hussein, he would be elevated to the status of the most powerful leader in that part of the world. Doubters in his ability to lead his country against certain attack would become immediate believers in him. The publicity Hussein would receive from ďgiving peace a chanceĒ would allow him to continue with his production of weapons of mass destruction.

Additionally, if the United States backs out of the war with Iraq, Saddam Hussein is almost guaranteed to continue killing innocent Kurds like he has been doing for more than 20 years. It is still happening even as Iraq is facing a showdown with the United States. If Hussein can survive a second confrontation with the United States in the past 12 years, then he will undoubtedly increase the killings by a significant amount, just as he did the year after the Gulf War ended.

Then there is North Korea. They are a very real threat to the United States, too. Recently, Kim Jong Il has bragged openly about the nuclear weapons he possesses and his intention to continue developing these weapons. In fact, on Monday, there was a mid-air confrontation with a North Korean jet and one of our military aircraft. If the United States backs down from war with Iraq, North Korea would also claim victory. They would conclude that if the United States did not attack Iraq then they will certainly not attack North Korea. And that would be a logical conclusion for them to make.

Finally, there would be a strong political fallout for President Bush if he does not go to war with Iraq. A large majority of those people who have been protesting the war just donít like Bush. We have seen President Bush reach out to his political opponents in the past on various issues in an attempt to seek common ground. But how many anti-war advocates would actually support President Bush if he did not go to war? My guess would be hardly any or none. In fact, they would probably make fun of him for lacking the courage to follow through on the convictions of his heart. Therefore, Bush has very little to gain from backing down from war intentions at this point.

What about Bushís conservative base? If Bush decided not to pursue war with Iraq, then he would probably alienate himself from the people who voted for him in 2000 and it could cost him the 2004 presidential election.

All of these possibilities exist if war with Iraq is averted.

Keep in mind that if al Qaeda or any other terrorist organization had the ability and wanted to commit a terrorist attack against the United States right now that they would do it as soon as possible. They would not wait to pull the trigger lest they risk having their plans foiled by American intelligence.

Actually, the likelihood of a catastrophic terrorist attack even worse than 9/11 will actually increase if we do not go to war! But you have not and will not hear that from the people who oppose the war with Iraq.

To end the terrorism, we must confront the terrorists. And thatís what we are going to do in just a matter of days.