Leaving Iraq, Slowly...by Way of Iran?

The Big Smirk said he would listen to advice on what to do next in Iraq. From two-thirds to three-quarters of the American people want a plan to bring American troops home. Democrats, officially now in a letter from the Speaker of the House and Majority Leader of the Senate, oppose escalation in Iraq. The Smirk listened. He's going to ignore them.

The Smirk said he'd do what the generals said was necessary. The generals said an escalation of troops was a bad idea. Smirk listened. He replaced those generals with more ambitious guys who got promoted by saying they agreed with him, escalation is the way to go.

But escalation and more tragedy in Iraq may be the least of it. Jeff Huber, a retired Naval officer , offers a persuasive analysis of the specific changes the Bushites have made in officials and in the military, notably the ascension of a Navy admiral. He thinks the table is being set for a war in Iran. That's Iran with an n.

Get the attention from Iraq by attacking Iran? Start a regional war that could spread throughout the Middle East and cause violence and turmoil for decades? Risk atomic war? Well, it gets Iraq out of the headlines. It gets the Democratic Congress attempts to begin fixing the country off track. It may even revive the War Fever that the Smirk has always depended on.

There's a carrier group in the Gulf and another on the way.