Tick, tick, tick.

It's a now-familiar sound to many not just in America, but around the world.

Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and his regime is running short on time to leave the country. If Saddam chooses to remain in power -- which he has indicated -- President George W. Bush and some of America's allies have promised swfit and severe consequences to remove Saddam from power and restore peace and democracy.

What's puzzling, however, is the reasoning from France, Germany and Russia on why they want to continue giving chances to Saddam's forces for his country to peacably disarm.

Here's the bottom line. Iraq has had the past 12 years to give up its arsenal of weapons of mass destruction. Like Bush has said, it's of Iraq's own choosing not to comply with the order to completely disarm.

There's no question that many on both sides of the ocean would rather see this situation resolved peacefully.

It's puzzling that French President Jacques Chirac alludes the United States, Great Britain and others are not listening to what other nations have to say. Chirac should take a close look in the mirror, as his own hard-line stance of veteoing anything that Bush would even remotely offer is pretty close-minded in itself.

Does France think it's immune to any terroristic-related activity? Or has it already forgotten that Richard Reid, who

was arrested for having explosives in his shoes, intended to carry out his mission by boarding a passenger jet in Paris?

No country is immune to the dangers of terrorism. Removing Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq won't erase terrorism and subsequent fear from this planet.

But it will be a good start.