dmtd - I don't know how this makes you side with ding. First, it starts out "as used in this context" even still this does not support Rich or Ding. In fact it does the opposite. It says that someone running at you with a knife is an imminent threat not just when he actually thrusts. Bush didn't ever say he had the knife (nuclear weapons that were ready to be used) he said he had a program and intentions and we needed to stop them from becoming a reality.

In the knife example - I don't think police can consider it an imminent threat if someone plans to go to the store to purchase a knife to use on them.

Ding - because the first isn't applicable - convene is in relation to gathering people not things. Look it up. Even if Bush were talking about people, to say that you are gathering people together does not imply it is imminent.

Mr. Shy - It is so refreshing to read ALL of your excellent points being made from a resident New Yorker.  Kudos on surviving in NY City holding such points of view - I guess that explains the "Shy" moniker.   

Parsing? You want to say that parsing is ridiculous... well, time for me to shut you up then.

You began your postings in here, saying that Mark was in error, that there was the term used, "imminent mushroom cloud". You were shown to be in error, and generally speaking, completely and totally wrong about your attempt. You have tried to define words on here, that have no bearing on the statements made. Imminent is exactly that: Imminent, without delay, unable to be changed, going to happen immediately -- that is what imminent is.

When you read the statement, that you provided, from Bush, he did not say anything remotely close to that. He said that Iraq had to be dealth with, that we can no longer wait for the smoking gun in the form of a mushroom cloud. Now, if you want me to hold your hand for this, while I parse it for you, I suppose I can do that. However, doing so would simply allow me to waste my time, for you to come back with more insane babble, and proof that you refuse to read what is right before you. So, what I will do, is tell you, in words that are small so you can understand them, that Bush was saying that Iraq needed to be dealt with before Iraq became a problem for the United States at home. Notice, if you will, in the statement that Bush made, and the translation I just gave you, nowhere does it say, "Iraq is an imminent threat with the imminent appearance of a mushroom cloud over an American city." In fact, you cannot even misread what I wrote to say that. You, obviously, seem to think that it can be done to Bush's statement, yet then you would be doing two things:

1 -- Totally screwing up, since the words Bush said, cannot be stretched to mean what you are trying to say he said.

2 -- Screwing yourself, for saying "parsing is ridiculous" when you tried (and failed) to do it with Bush's statement.

Now, I would really like for you to show me where Bush, Cheney or Rumsfield ever once said that Iraq was an imminent threat to the United States, on the nuclear front. I want you to show me where any of them used any combination of words to say that Iraq was going to deliver nuclear weapons on the doorstep of Main Street USA, and detonate them. I want you to stop your truly ridiculous attempts at sounding impressive with the English language, and show that to me -- where they said that.

"Stop global warming! Asphyxiate a liberal!" - Show us how far you're willing to go to stop "global warming"