The whole thing is very odd. There hasn't really been any "sabre rattling" as such. In fact the tone has seemed very understated. ("We're going to lob a few missiles at him and hope it scares him so much he won't be a naughty boy again") which strikes me as daft, although it may actually be more sensible than that in reality. What has been sensibly re-thought is the timing. As it is the US may begin action while the UN inspectors are still there.
(There was a hilarious interview on Radio 5 today with someone called
Vyacheslav Shchekin of the Russian Duma (battier than a brush - not helped by his comedy accent!)