Cheney and the Iran Hawks
What I've heard from pundits and Washington reporters is that there are two groups within the Bush administration right now, split over the Iran nuclear issue. One camp, with Rice and others is trying to emphasize diplomacy with Iran and wants to avoid military action at all cost. The other camp, led by Cheney and what's left of the neocons want a military strike on Iran's nuclear AND government facilities. I don't think Cheney has much sway left within the administration but I could be wrong and the bombs could be falling before the end of Bush's term. Does anyone else think Condi can stave off another disaster?
JasonF says:
"ne camp, with Rice and others is trying to emphasize diplomacy with Iran and wants to avoid military action at all cost. The other camp, led by Cheney and what's left of the neocons want a military strike on Iran's nuclear AND government facilities."
hehe, One group wants to have a future in politics and the other thinks life on earth is a zero-sum game.
well said JasonF. Rice is doing quite a bit of late to ensure a future and a legacy.
As to Iran, while I do think there are people in the administration pushing for an attack, I really don't think it's feasible right now. I don't think Bush could get the support he needs for it. I think Annapolis was a clear signal as well that Bush was backing diplomacy as an approach to the Middle East (and therefore backing Rice). Also, with some of the successes the surge has had in Iraq, the Democrats have already been forced to reevaluate their strong language on Iraq, shifting to focusing on the lack of political progress there. Given that, I'm not sure attacking Iran would be a good move for the Republicans to have to deal with going into the election.
