Imperiling the civilized world

Glenn Greenwald sketches the machinery that is rolling out yet another "new product launch," as they like to call invading another country and unleashing chaos. Indeed, it's pretty hard not to recognize the most recent call to arms by the Bush/Cheney war propagandists.

Speaking here before the American Legion’s annual convention, Mr. Bush said competing brands of Islamic extremism — the Sunni model exemplified by Al Qaeda and a Shiite version that he said was abetted by Iran — were vying for dominance in Iraq.

That, he said, made it imperative for the United States not to fail in establishing a pro-American government there.

“I want our citizens to consider what would happen if these forces of radicalism are allowed to drive us out of the Middle East,” he said in a speech interrupted several times by applause. “The region would be dramatically transformed in a way that would imperil the civilized world.”

Mr. Bush has previously warned Iran about its involvement in Iraq and its nuclear programs, but his remarks on Tuesday were especially forceful, and suggested that he was blending the justification for staying in Iraq with fears held by members of both parties in Congress that Iran could emerge as a threat.

He reiterated accusations by officials and American military commanders that Iran was providing training and weaponry, including 240-millimeter rockets, to forces not only in Iraq, but also in Afghanistan, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. He said he had authorized the military to “confront Tehran’s murderous activities.”

Of course, Bush's logic is typically coherent.

“For all those who ask whether the fight is worth it, imagine an Iraq where militia groups backed by Iran control larger parts of the country,” he said.

One problem for Mr. Bush is that the most recent National Intelligence Estimate, an assessment released last week, suggested that that is already happening with the tacit consent of the Iraqi leaders Mr. Bush supports.