Yesterday, the British carrier Ark Royal got underway to the Persian Gulf; today, the U.S. more than doubled its troop commitment to the Gulf.

And in perhaps the most ominous sign of all, Sarge is off on some mysterious errand, for an unspecified amount of time.

It looks like the hammer's about to fall, folks. Let's hope it happens quickly, and with no nasty surprises (for anyone other than Saddam Hussein, that is).

UPDATE 2003-01-18: Steven Den Beste presents more evidence that the shooting is about to start.