Planning Ahead

Jim Lobe has some analysis of Bush's remarks to the Knesset. Jim is now more worried than he was before that an attack on Iran might actually happen. As I wrote over at the AA News Page, we are not plumbing the minds of psychologically normal people. You have to always expand the possibilities to include the unthinkable. So yes, I would say it's a mistake to discount the possibility that Bush would strike Iran, incredibly unwise though that may be. From Lobe (links removed, but go through to his original and read the links):

Adding to my concern was a report by a reliable source that a prominent neo-conservative close to Cheney’s office who several months ago believed there was virtually no possibility that Bush would order an attack on Iran before he left office has apparently changed his mind. This individual (whose name I can’t divulge at the source’s insistence) recently told my source that such an attack would take place between the November elections and Bush’s departure and that it would be “massive.” I subsequently heard from a knowledgeable Israeli source that he had recently heard the same scenario from two of his sources in Israel. In that connection, Todd Gitlin’s reflections on TPM Cafe about what he was hearing in Jerusalem this week seem clearly relevant. (Gitlin attended Shimon Peres’ Presidents Conference where, according to Laura Rozen’s excellent warandpiece.com, the Israeli host was seated in the front row between Bush and Freedom’s Watch funder and Netanyahu backer, casino multi-billionaire Sheldon Adelson. Her rendition of Nahum Barnea’s column for Yediot Aharanot on Adelson is another must read this week.)

Today the Jerusalem Post has another unnamed source saying that Bush and Cheney want to strike Iran before the end of their term. This news was broadcast over Israel's Army Radio report and presumably has fanned out across Israel. The White House denies this report, so it must be true. Why, again, do the Israelis hear what Bush plans while Americans are kept in the dark? Oh yeah, we are the stepchildren.

Here's the url for that:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1210668683139&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

It may just come down to whether our economic collapse happens before these guys pull the trigger or after.

Hey, happy Tuesday. Have a great day.