Washblog

I find paleoconservative Pat Buchanan, to be an extreme social regressive, with ideas on social and cultural purity that verge on bigotry if they don't spill over into racism.  In other ways, he's a rare truth-teller.  I'm thinking of his critiques of global corporatism, media consolidation, and American Empire -- even his opposition to animal cruelty in factory farming.  He's been vehemently against entering Iraq since the start.

From his 3/3/07 article in American Conservative, Who Will Stop the Next War, he tells us:

"...the forces needed to execute an attack are moving into place. Army Gen. John Abizaid has been replaced as CENTCOM commander by Adm. "Fox" Fallon, commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, who knows little about counterinsurgency but a lot about co-ordinating air strikes.  The carrier group Stennis is headed for the Gulf to join the Eisenhower. Minesweepers are headed for the Strait of Hormuz. American fighter-bombers have returned to Incirlik. Iranian officials have been seized in Iraq. Patriot missiles are being moved into Kuwait and Qatar. Why all this firepower--to secure Anbar province and Sadr City?

Bush's anti-Iran rhetoric has been ratcheted up. Announcing his surge, Bush interjected that Tehran "is providing material support for attacks on American troops. ... [W]e will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq." This threat was followed by shoot-to-kill orders to U.S. troops encountering Iranians aiding the insurgency.

And Democrats are not going to let Bush get to their right. At the Herzliya Conference, John Edwards said that keeping Iran from nuclear weapons "is the greatest challenge of our generation." "To ensure that Iran never gets nuclear weapons, we need to keep all options on the table. Let me reiterate--all options."  At AIPAC, Hillary echoed Edwards..."