military action against Iran's nuclear program

* reuters:

"U.S. contingency planning for military action against Iran's nuclear program goes beyond limited strikes and would effectively unleash a war against the country, a former U.S. intelligence analyst said on Friday.

"I've seen some of the planning ... You're not talking about a surgical strike," said Wayne White, who was a top Middle East analyst for the State Department's bureau of intelligence and research until March 2005.

"You're talking about a war against Iran" that likely would destabilize the Middle East for years, White told the Middle East Policy Council, a Washington think tank.

"We're not talking about just surgical strikes against an array of targets inside Iran. We're talking about clearing a path to the targets" by taking out much of the Iranian Air Force, Kilo submarines, anti-ship missiles that could target commerce or U.S. warships in the Gulf, and maybe even Iran's ballistic missile capability, White said."

* wolcott: "There's a subset of conservative bloggers that I've come to think of as Christian Creeps. Not the most elegant or endearing epithet, but there it is, the best I can do under the circumstances. These are bloggers who profess their faith in God and the efficacy of prayer and, once they wipe the piety off their upturned faces, turn around and fantasize about environmentalists dangling from nooses, taking up arms against rampaging Muslims, and unleashing nuclear genocide on Arab lands. "

* usnews:

"A central character in one of Washington's seediest congressional corruption capers is likely to stay out of jail for several more months because he's cooperating with the feds and coughing up juicy details about others implicated in the scandal, insiders tell U.S. News.

Washington defense contractor Mitchell Wade pleaded guilty last February to paying then California Rep. Randall "Duke" Cunningham more than $1 million in bribes. But he actually began cooperating with federal prosecutors starting in the summer of 2005, and he has been singing like a bird ever since, according to law enforcement sources."

* oldschool:

"Why should Rice be on the wrong side of GWB?

She was ordered to let Israel fights its war for eighteen days (or whatever) and she did just that.

She has faithfully executed the foreign policy of the Bush administration (which is to say, no negotiation, with anyone, on any topic whatsoever). She's been a soldier so faithful as to make Colin Powell blush.

She was a miserable failure as Director of National Security - she's continuing quite well as a miserable failure as Secretary of State.

I suppose that it's always possible that there is a bit of a mind somewhere underneath that helmet-hair. Maybe she had an original idea somewhere along the line - and if this so, she must most obviously be smacked down - because the official foreign policy of the United States is as follows: (doing best GWB impersonation))

We don't care who you are - We don't care about you one way or another. BUT, if you either have, or may be getting, a Nuke, well, maybe then we'll talk to you - so long as you capitulate to all my demands before we deign sit down with you. Otherwise - Fuck You - My Nukes are bigger'n yours. Ya wanna play - fine - Jesus and I have already spoken about this matter.

On the other hand - if you've got some oil - here's a first-class ticket to D.C., and I can free up some time (just for you, ya understand) whenever ya get here. Hell - come to Crawford - we'll call Cheney - we'll shoot some brush and other defenseless stuff. (I'll keep Laura in the house - her medication knocks the fuck out of her in the mornin's, ya know). Shit, give me a week's notice, and I'll have some wingless birds flown in for Cheney - some Jack Daniels for me - hmmm, whaddya want for yourself?"