Most people attribute the collosal failure known as ‘the situation in Iraq’ to incompetence. Maybe so, but when you look at the skill and intelligence behind seizing power in the US, manipulating public opinion, stealing the commons, and generally destroying democracy at home and abroad, incompetence doesn’t come to mind. Not even with Katrina (though letting that video out was a big goober.) Malevolence, yes. Insanity, yes. Incompetence, no.

Iraq isn’t a failure. It’s a success, only it hasn’t caught on as well as they’d like: a larger Middle Eastern conflict has been the desired ’state’ all along. You must tear down the old world order before building a new one, knock the pieces off the Grand Chessboard before starting a new game with your rules… Especially now, since Iraq has become intractable (by design, I suspect). A wider conflict hasn’t come quickly enough for this administration in spite of all they’ve tried to do to provoke it. Incursions into Syria? Didn’t provoke them enough. Keep trying. Eventually, Syria or Iran will lash out or quit ‘being reasonable.’ Then we’ll pounce and scream SEE?!?!? We told you this menace had to be dealt with!!

I may be giving the Bush administration too much credit, but either way – competent or not – they do seem hell-bent to attack Iran and/or Syria and/or goad one of them into giving the US an excuse to do something it has every intention of doing anyways.

But I can’t see them hitting Iran. Not with a civil war in Iraq, too few troops, and the certainty that Iran is going to agitate successfully in Iraq.

I’ve thought for awhile that Israel is going to do whatever bombing needs to be done, on a wink and nod deal with the U.S. On the other hand, that might be even worse. Who does the Arab world hate most, us or Israel?

Will even a tight zone be able to make shooting the pull series not worth it?