Reply #7: I would hope that recent developments would put the whole Iran/WW3 issue to rest for now [View All]

However, given Bush & Cheney's open arrogance and disdain for the public, Congress, and, most importantly, "objective reality," I wouldn't be very surprised if Bush decides to thump his chests, remind everybody how little he cares about polls and that he is "THE DECIDER" and plow ahead anyway with whatever madness they wish to pursue in regards to Iran. The recently released NIE could, however, leave them bereft of support from (most of) the military and probably even some Republicans. We also appear to have somebody in charge of things over there in the Middle East (Fallon) who has emphatically taken Iran "off the table" during his watch. We also already have an unpopular and seemingly unending occupation, a President with a +/-30% rating and no new national tragedies for him and Cheney to use as a pretext for launching ANOTHER war/occupation, let alone troops to use. Of course, I never dreamed that so many otherwise smart, well-informed, and rational people would go along with this (mis-)administration about Iraq when the idea that Iraq had suddenly transformed itself from a broken and boxed-in third world country into a WMD-armed and operational "Death Star" back in 2002-2003 seemed so implausible as to be laughable for those of us living in what one White House aide referred to as the "reality-based community" (of which I am a PROUD member). :shrug: