Gene Lyons on Cheney's push for war with Iran

The ever-sensible Gene Lyons recognizes that In Washington, it’s conservatism gone mad Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 08/15/07:

If the Bush White House excels at anything, it’s keeping secrets. With the sudden departure of political director Karl Rove, who it’s reported frequently leaked information to pet reporters for political purposes, the mystery about who’s responsible for what decisions can only deepen. Since the administration rarely tells the truth about anything, divining its intentions requires American Kremlinology, a term once used for decoding Soviet Russian propaganda. If you can figure out who wants you to believe something, it’s sometimes possible to understand why. From there, underlying facts can be deduced. Maybe. In foreign policy, two factions reportedly are competing for George W. Bush’s ear. Supposedly, these groups are represented by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who allegedly favors diplomatic engagement with Iran, and Vice President Dick Cheney, who’d prefer to bomb them back to 333 B. C., when Alexander the Great destroyed the Persian capital of Persepolis. "Darth" Cheney has long been an adept of the Chicken Little school of international relations in which the sky is always falling and only launching another pre-emptive war can save us. The theory is that following a massive bombing attack, Iranians would rise up and overthrow their government as the U. S. currently has no army available for the job. (my emphasis)

Lyons also calls attention to a disturbing trend, in which some portion of Republicans really seem to think that the Muslim hordes are about to overwhelm the United States right here in North America:

Today, the Chicken Little brigade warns that, should we fail to respond to the Iranian "threat," we could soon find ourselves living in an America where Paris Hilton has been stoned to death, Britney Spears has to go around in a baggy black chador, and the World Series will be contested by men wearing beards and turbans. I get frequent e-mails warning that "Islamo-fascism" threatens to conquer the U. S. A.

Lyons concludes:

In summary, the Bush administration started a second war before winning the first. In consequence, Osama bin Laden remains at large while Americans die every day vainly refereeing a chaotic civil war in Iraq. With the U. S. in danger of losing both wars simultaneously, Cheney is pressing for a third war against an opponent larger than the other two combined. This isn’t conservatism, neo- or otherwise. It’s madness.

Tags: gene lyons, cheney, iran war