Below the Fold for March 9

Let's check out some political stories we found Below the Fold:

Dressing Down?

Brian Rennie, head designer for the Escada fashion house, fears a war with Iraq could inflict unexpected damage on Hollywood. He predicts that women attending the Oscars may have to abandon tight fitting gowns with revealing leg-lines and necklines in favor of something less sensational and more - dare we say, conservative.

Says he: "If war goes ahead there will be a scramble for toned-down dresses."

Truth in Numbers

When it comes to war, how essential is the support of the United Nations and the international community? Walter Russell Mead of the Council on Foreign relations notes that of 26 international conflicts waged since the U.N.'s inception, only three have received U.N. support: the Korean War, which was fought under U.N. auspices; the Gulf War and the War in Afghanistan.

Note that the United States requested all three - and that the Russians, French and Chinese, all of which have waged war in the U.N. era, have not sought permission once. Nor has Jimmy Carter previously complained about unilateralism on the part of such aggressors.

Ahead of the Curve?

London's Daily Mirror is reports that British paratroopers near the Kuwait-Iraq border received a surprise last Monday as they performed live fire drills. A dozen Iraqi troops showed up and surrendered -- white flags and all.

The Brits sent the crestfallen soldiers home, informing them that they would have to wait for an actual war before surrendering.