Mr Stewart's comments are glib, but irrelevant. The White House has published a press release which says the current coalition comprises 44 countries at this writing.

This number is still growing, and it is no accident that many member nations of the Coalition recently escaped from the boot of a tyrant or have felt the scourge of terrorism.

Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II and began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. Today, reforms and democratization keep Bulgaria on a path toward eventual integration into NATO and the EU - with which it began accession negotiations in 2000.

All Coalition member nations understand the threat Saddam Hussein's weapons pose to the world and the devastation his regime has wreaked on the Iraqi people.

• The population of Coalition countries is approximately 1.18 billion people.
  
• Coalition countries have a combined GDP of approximately $21.7 trillion.
  
• Every major race, religion, ethnicity in the world is represented.
  
• The Coalition includes nations from every continent on the globe.
  

Three points:

(1) I don't think anyone meant any disrespect to Bulgaria.

(2) The "Coalition of the Willing" is of a different type than the Gulf War coalition -- any country professing support for this war is a member of the "Coalition of the Willing" while the Gulf War coalition were countries actively involved in that action.

(3) Antarctica is a continent and as far as I've heard, the penguins have remained steadfastly neutral.

"Operation Inflate the Coalition
During the last Gulf War, 32 nations sent troops to support the U.S. This time around, 3 nations did. So how is Donald Rumsfeld claiming Operation Iraqi Freedom is larger than the '91 coalition?"

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2003/03/21/willing/

US Exaggerates Relative Size of Iraq Alliance

http://www.reuters.com/printerFriendlyPopup.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=2418860

It has been suggested that the US-led war on Iraq is a multilateral affair. Those who use that term--multilateral--ought to take a look at the coalition that President George H. W. Bush put together for the 1991 Gulf War.

Afghanistan: 300 troops
Argentina: 1 destroyer, 1 corvette, 2 air force transport planes
Australia: 4 ships
Bahrain: 3,000 troops
Bangladesh: 6,000 troops
Belgium: 1 frigate, 2 minesweepers, 2 landing ships, 6 C-130 planes
Britain: 43,000 troops, 6 destroyers, 4 frigates, 3 minesweepers, 168 tanks, 300 armored vehicles, 70 jets
Canada: 2 destroyers, 12 C-130 planes, 24 CF-18 bombers, 4500 troops, Field Hospital (1 Canadian Field Hospital)
Czechoslovakia: 200 chemical warfare specialists
Denmark: 1 Corvette
Egypt: 40,000 troops (5,000 special forces paratroopers)
France: 18,000 troops, 60 combat aircraft, 120 helicopters, 40 tanks, 1 missile cruiser, 3 destroyers, 4 frigates
Germany: 18 Alpha-Jets and 212 soldiers stationed in Erhac/Turkey during the gulf war. 5 Minesweeper, 2 Supply Vessels, 500 sailors.
Greece: 1 Frigate
Honduras: 150 troops
Hungary: 1 medical unit
Italy: 3 frigates, 4 minesweepers, 10 Tornado Aircraft
Japan: Medical personnel and supplies
Kuwait: 11,000 troops, 2 missile boats, 1 barge operations platform
Morocco: 1, 700 troops
The Netherlands: 2 frigates, 1 supply ships
New Zealand: 50 medical soldiers and 2 C-130s
Niger: 500 troops
Oman: 25,500 troops, 63 airplanes, 4 Exocet-armed ships
Pakistan: 7,000 troops
Philippines: Medical Personnel
Poland: 1 Hospital Ship
Portugal: 1 naval logistics ship
Qatar: 1 squadron of Mirage F-1E fighters
Romania: 360 medical personnel, 180 chemical warfare experts
Senegal: 500 troops
Singapore: 35-man personnel
Sierra Leone: 30 medical personnel
Saudi Arabia: 118,000 troops, 550 tanks, 180 airplanes
South Korea: 5 C-130 transport planes, 1 medical unit
Sweden: Field hospital and medical personnel
Syria: 17,000 troops, 300 T-62 tanks
United Arab Emirates: 40,000 troops, 80 planes, 200 tanks

Total Cost: $74 billion Cost picked up by US allies: $58 billion (mainly from the Gulf States and Japan)

Here's what Bush II describes as a coalition for Gulf War II.

Australia: 200 commandos
UK: 30,000 troops

Total Cost: $100 billion + (estimated) Cost picked up by US allies: $0

See the difference? Bush 41 had put together a breathtaking coalition, including many Muslim nations--Pakistan, Oman, Syria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, and even Afghanistan, who not only provided equipment and airbases, but also put their troops under US command to fight another Muslim nation! Note that the bulk of the tab was picked up by the Gulf States and Japan.

Today Bush 43 has the support of Spain, Bulgaria, Latvia, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands and Lithuania, as well as Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, but none have committed troops nor have they made reconstruction pledges.

Clearly, without US sponsorship, there would be no war on Iraq. If Bush backs out, there is not a single nation that has the desire--or the will--to head into this war.

And that, despite all the spin, is what makes this war unilateral.

"Clearly, without US sponsorship, there would be no war on Iraq. If Bush backs out, there is not a single nation that has the desire--or the will--to head into this war."

Just like last time.

redclay is right. Bottom line is that it is...just like last time.

Polish Armed Forces took part in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, deploying 2,500 soldiers in the south of that country and commanding the 17-nation Multinational force in Iraq. In addition to this, Polish soldiers are currently deployed in five separate UN Peacekeeping Operations (UNDOF, UNIFIL, SFOR, AFOR and KFOR) with a total of approximately 2,200 troops, on top of the 1,500 soldiers remaining in southern Iraq. Total international deployment of Polish military is 3,727 troops.

"Today Bush 43 has the support of Spain, Bulgaria, Latvia, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands and Lithuania, as well as Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, but none have committed troops nor have they made reconstruction pledges".?!?!?