“Iran is today the world's leading state sponsor of terror. It sends hundreds of millions of dollars to extremists around the world while its own people face repression and economic hardship at home.”
U.S. President GW Bush, January 18, 2008.

At long last Dubya Bush and his advisors have developed a sense of humour. Heh, yep, for a second I thought Bush seriously meant the above quote to be taken without a hint of irony. Maybe he's hired a team of striking comedy writers to pen his speeches. It would be a smart move, since most Americans believe that John Stewart would make a better President than Dub, and have thought so for quite some time.

As Bush enters his last months as the most powerful warlord on the planet, he no doubt intends to go out with a bang big enough to cement his place in history forevermore. Trouble is, he's running out of Muslim countries to invade. The countries of northern Africa are mostly Muslim, but there's not much of geopolitical interest to the U.S., or Dick Cheney's stockbroker, in that area. Turkey is strongly Muslim, and is a great strategic location to use as a military base. However, Turkey is a Russian ally, has a strong military, and not much oil, so it's off the possible invasion list. Pakistan is a key US ally in the vaunted war on terror, so they can't be invaded for a couple years at least. Saudi Arabia is definitely off the list. That leaves Iran, which has long been on Bush's mind.

In early 2006 the noted journalist Seymour Hersh penned an article about Bush's boner for an Iranian conflict. Hersh quoted sources - no one of consequence doubts Hersh's integrity - that claimed Bush believed he was the only one with the gumption to “save” Iran. The prevailing military strategy being discussed in the upper levels of Bush's military went as follows, and stop me if any of this sounds insane and-or familiar. Hersh's source claimed: “Plans were being drawn up for a sustained bombing campaign that would humiliate the religious leadership and lead the public to rise up and overthrow the Iranian government.” Save Iran, indeed.

A similar strategy was used to justify the invasion of Iraq. In case you've forgotten, the idea with Iraq was that while the U.S. was blowing away Iraqi soldiers and the odd civilian with their ultra-modern war machinery in an effort to stop international terrorism, the people of Iraq would revolt from within and aide the U.S. invaders, bringing freedom and justice and democracy to the country at the same time the US was bombing most of it's infrastructure (water, energy, industry) to rubble. Iraq was to become a Middle Eastern model. That really was the prevailing wisdom at the time. I would suggest Iraq has become a model not to be copied.

Back to the Bush quote, and it's terrible irony. If the word “terror” is taken literally, then there's little doubt the U.S. is the world's leading sponsor. Domestically, the U.S. locks up more of its own citizens than any other developed country in the world. And if you're Hispanic or black or brown and like to smoke a little weed, you're probably in jail, or soon will be. The Patriot Act gave unprecedented power to government agencies to investigate and incarcerate U.S. citizens for any number of reasons. And that's just the legal end. The domestic economic terror program of the US has long been clear to anyone not wealthy enough to hire a crack team of lawyers and investment consultants.

Globally, the US is like the neighborhood bully after he's discovered steroids. Except that the bully doesn't want anyone else getting as strong as him, so he tries to control the supply of ‘roids, giving out samples only to pals who don't mind bending over when ordered. Support the U.S. and it's strategic goals, and your country will get trade deals, cash and weapons. While opposition to U.S. policies, should be preceded by massive bomb shelter building.

So, after it becomes clear that Bush won't be able to broker a peace agreement between Palestine and Israel - his lame attempt to amend his reputation - will he invade Iran as Legacy Formation: Plan B? He and his flunkies won't be around to deal with the aftermath of Afghanistan, or Iraq, so what's another bombing campaign and invasion going to cost him?

Nothing, that's what, and that's not funny at all.
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