Stuart Carlson--on top of the Operation Persian Freedom Story

Preemption Redux

As the pressure of world opinion increases on Iran, the Bush administration has chosen to restate its doctrine of preemption—a strategy most of pundits and talking heads thought buried by the ongoing US experience in Iraq. In (“Bush to restate terror strategy—2002 doctrine of preemptive war to be reaffirmed” the Washington Post quotes a part of the report:

“If necessary, however, under long-standing principles of self defense, we do not rule out use of force before attacks occur, even if uncertainty remains as to the time and place of the enemy's attack," the document continues. "When the consequences of an attack with WMD are potentially so devastating, we cannot afford to stand idly by as grave dangers materialize."

“Such language,” the Post notes, “could be seen as provocative [no shit? Really?] at a time when the United States and its European allies have brought Iran before the U.N. Security Council to answer allegations that it is secretly developing nuclear weapons. At a news conference in January, Bush described an Iran with nuclear arms as a "grave threat to the security of the world." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/15/AR2006031502297.html).

There is little reason to think the restatement a coincidence. Bush is laying the groundwork for Operation Persian Freedom and public being prepared for the necessity of the action. War will come should Iran not submit to US-Western-IEAC supervision of every aspect of its nuclear programs.

In truth even that may not suffice because Bush’s real object is regime change. In Bush’s hands America’s commitment to global democracy is taking on a Rousseau-like quality whereby men and women are forced to be free.
In any case—the MAGIC EIGHTBALL says war comes in the last year of the Bush presidency