The Lebanon test run

The US reportedly considered Israel's actions as a necessary prerequisite for a possible strike against Iran.

Seymour Hersh quotes an unidentified US government consultant with close ties to the Israelis who says: "The Israelis told us it would be a cheap war with many benefits. Why
oppose it? We'll be able to hunt down and bomb missiles, tunnels, and bunkers from the air. It would be a demo for Iran." The Independent

If that report is true then it might just answer why the bumbling, US provoked terror raids in Britain. Well, before we go there, consider this from Robert Fisk:

In all, at least 39 - possibly 43 - Israeli soldiers have been killed in the past day as Hizbollah guerrillas, still launching missiles into Israel itself, have fought back against Israel's massive land invasion into Lebanon. (That is the day leading up to the ceasefire.)

Israeli military authorities talked of "cleaning" and "mopping up" operations by their soldiers south of the Litani river but, to the Lebanese, it seems as if it is the Hizbollah that have been doing the "mopping up". By last night, the Israelis had not even been able to reach the dead crew of a helicopter - shot down on Saturday night - which crashed into a Lebanese valley.

Any demo run for an Iran attack has well and truly failed. The good news is that those Israeli and Lebanese deaths might have saved countless US troops, but that is another story.

The Israeli attack has been a failure of the greatest magnitude. Not only did it fail to wipe out Hezbollah, it has created generations of enemies for Israel and the west.

Of course we have been speculating on what the next two crises might be, in the months leading up to the mid-terms. Surely the Republicans will still be looking to cement voter support through the terror campaign, they know no other strategy it seems.

But an attack on Iran, following the debacle of Lebanon? That would be taking credibility a step to far towards plain insanity. The only fear is that desperation creates stupid decisions, and the republicans must now be desperate.