"I'm not so sure we can't still avoid war and disarm Saddam Hussein," Clinton said, "but we've all got to be together. We can't waive the option of using force, but we ought to do this in a way that brings the world together, not divides it."

As he often does,Clinton grew expansive in discussing the long-range ramifications of U.S. actions in Iraq. Given the rate of growth in the economies of some developing nations, the United States may not be the world's leading economic power by mid-century, he said. "And then we will be judged on how we behave now, at this moment," he said.

Clinton told his audience: "What I think you should be for, as Americans, is getting the U.N. to adopt a resolution that is not political on either side -- that just asks Hans Blix, the arms inspector, an honest, competent man, 'How long will it take you to verify that Iraq has or has not done these five things that are in Prime Minister Blair's resolution?' "

That may mean a long, taxing deployment for U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf region -- "a big headache," Clinton acknowledged. But "it's worth it to disarm Saddam and keep the world community together." Bill Clinton