Drums of War Grow Louder for Iran

Somewhat incredibly, the United States has made it to the final eight to nine months of the Bush Administration without launching a direct attack on Iran. Strong disagreements among administration officials and members of the Pentagon establishment have prevented an attack from occurring in recent years. But it appears the division on this policy issue is now become minimal at best, and rumors of an imminent attack on Tehran and a number of Iranian military targets by American aircraft and sea vessel launched missiles will be coming, perhaps as soon as in a few to several days, or, more likely, later this summer or in the autumn either before or after the election, probably depending on poll numbers or the outcome of the national election. The timing of the attack is as almost important politically as it is militarily and strategically. The Bush Administration wants to foster the election hopes of GOP presidential nominee John McCain and placing the attack at the right moment could strengthen the McCain bid particularly among key demographics such as older voters. It is without question the attack will jolt commodities and stock markets globally, specifically in the oil sector, as the attack will like push prices up by as much as 50 % or more in a very short period of time. While the price increase will only be temporary in the short term, the economic and psychological costs to the American economy and citizenry would be shocking. It is with this legacy in the closing months of their presidential tenure that Bush and Cheney must make a determination. An Obama election will ensure an attack will take place in the 75 days between the election and inauguration. This would create a tremendous mess for Obama to step in on, and this may be part of the GOP strategy to ensure an Obama presidency is only a one term presidency that is filled with crises economically and politically with virtually no impetus or inertia for policy moves and programs that are of a great concern, importance, and criticality.
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http://www.alternet.org/audits/87079/?page=entire

http://armscontrolcenter.org/policy/iran/
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