With the ceasefire in Bosnia slated to end within days and the deadline for handing in weapons quickly approaching, NATO forces were weighing the next turn of events and options for the region, this particular day in 1994.

But that was one element in the makeup of the day. The rest of it was a little like this:

Alan Greenspan got it wrong again as economic news took a surprising upturn with release of the first flat inflation reading since 1989. The Trade deficit was another matter, but it was looking like the economy was finally stabilizing.

In other news - the Clinton Administration pledged to spend more on Housing, Mental Health and Tax programs aimed at aiding the homeless in the U.S. since figures showed the number was hovering around 7 million, considerably more than was announced by either the Reagan or Bush Administrations previously. Surprise? The Clinton Administration also proposed a $130.00 entry fee for political Asylum seekers looking to emigrate to the U.S.

In Winter Olympics news - Skier Tommy Moe won a silver medal this day, icing on the cake for his 24th birthday. The Harding/Kerrigan kerfuffle had a media frenzy over their first practice session which yielded no fireworks and a collective yawn.

Shannon Faulkner, whose on-going legal battle to get into the all-male Citadel Military Academy, wound up back in court this day saying it wasn't enough she was enrolled in classes, she also meant the physical part too.

The ACLU got involved in the recent curfew controversy in Dade County Florida, saying it violated civil rights and was something of a pain in the ass for parents too, making sure the 11:00 pm curfew for kids was enforced. The NAACP and B'nai B'rith got together in New York to discuss recent racial tensions between the Black and Jewish communities. And the Whitewater Investigation was continuing with allegations documents were shredded pertaining to the case.

And the Kremlin was voting today and whether or not to grant amnesty to individuals involved in the coup attempts in Russia in 1991 and 1993.

A busy and wildly fluctuating day, this February 17th in 1994 as reported on the CBS World News Roundup.

On this day in 1998 it was all about Iraq and the infamous Weapons Of Mass Destruction. Addressing the nation from the Department of Defense, President Clinton prepared everyone for what was going to be a series of air strikes and stepped up sanctions against the regime of Saddam Hussein. Iraq, it seemed, was the recurring thorn in everyone's side and in 1998 it was no different.

President Clinton: “Despite Iraq’s deceptions UNSCOM has, nevertheless done a remarkable job. It’s inspectors, the eyes and ears of the civilized world, have uncovered and destroyed more weapons of mass destruction capacity than was destroyed during the Gulf War. This includes nearly 40,000 chemical weapons, more than 100,000 gallons of chemical weapons agents, 48 operational missiles, 30 warheads specifically fitted for chemical and biological weapons, and a massive biological weapons facility at Al-Hakim, equipped to produce Anthrax and other deadly agents. Over the past few months as they have come closer and closer to rooting out Iraq’s remaining nuclear capacity, Saddam has undertaken yet another gambit to thwart their ambition. By imposing debilitating conditions on the inspectors, and declaring key sites which have still not been inspected off-limits, including I might add, one palace in Baghdad, more than 2600 acres large. By comparison when you hear all this business about Presidential sites reflect our sovereignty, why do you want to come into a residence, the White House complex is 18 acres, so you’ll have some feel for this. One of these Presidential sites is about the size of Washington D.C. – that’s about . . .how many acres did you tell me it was? Forty thousand acres. We’re not talking about a few rooms here with delicate personal matters involved.”

Well . . .we all know how that story ended.

Here is the complete address, along with comments by Defense Secretary Cohen and vice-President Gore and post-address analysis by NPR correspondents.