Four-hundred thousand Iraqi deaths ago give or take a hundred-thousand, Bush and his minions decided that Iraq stood politically and militarily as one of those undesirable four-letter places, the westerly end of the axis of evil. Apparently, the preceding decade of sanctions (starting in 1992) had not been punishment enough for its people, nor had the genocide of half-a-million children been sufficient sacrifice.

So off with the “q”, and on with the rape – Iraq would thus cease to be a four-letter word – courtesy of Bush the Decider, his retinue of neocon masterminds and a brainwashed American population waving flags and willing to lend unquestioned support, many no doubt blinded by the symbolic call to arms Bush took advantage of after 9/11. Three months short of four years, American occupation forces have “succeeded,” intentionally or not, in taking a nation with bright prospects, and converting it into Shambles-land… where death and chaos reign. Without plans or a building permit the US has managed to construct in Iraq a temple for martyrs… a palatial recruiting station for present and future jihadists -- people with deep-rooted “ira” (wrath) in search for revenge.

Now that there isn’t a nook or cranny where Bush might be able to hide, with defeat staring him in the face and support limited to the power elite, and an equally busholute religious-right, he can ill-afford to break the glass and reach for the fire extinguisher. It would mean retreat from Iraq -- whether precipitously or in stages -- something that will never be an option for someone who is the archetype of arrogance. So come hell or high-water, tsunami or surge, nothing must be allowed to happen during the next two years that could be interpreted, at least by Americans, as defeat… as cut and run.

And just as it happens with pyramid or Ponzi schemes in the area of investments -- most often aided by human greed -- defeat or failure (political and military) can only be covered up by enlarging the battlefield, by extending the size and/or time of conflict. So off with the “n”, and on with the rape of the next four letter country, another villain nation representing demonology to our saintly George W. Bush. That land of the Aryans allows the perfectly suited escalation, the ideal military vehicle to extend America’s interests in the Middle East: a godsend to cover-up the failure that has been Iraq.

This response to imminent or future “terrorist danger” can take place now during the surge, or perhaps it can wait until the surge fails. The preparation for a substantive preemptive strike against Iran appears to have been made, such need articulated by the administration’s two mouthpieces-extraordinaire: Cheney and Rice. The question of attacking Iran seems to have made the transition from the conditional if to the resolute when. Just as Saddam Hussein was a “done deal” four years ago, GPS-destinations are now being stamped on hundreds, or thousands of smart bombs and cruise missiles.

Perhaps there are those in Iran, certainly those in political opposition to Ahmadinejad, who feel the current government’s confrontational style is not serving their nation well. And they probably have a point in the diplomatic scheme of things. However, Iran’s predicament as to where it is in America’s gun sight has little to do with Mahmoud’s tirades about the holocaust; the country’s declared or undeclared nuclear intentions; or Dr. Ahmadinejad’s preference for dealing with Russia’s Vladimir Putin rather than with America’s George W. Bush. As with real estate, this Iran affair has everything to do with location… and also with timing.

Unfortunately, Iran’s geo-strategic location in Eurasia places that nation at odds with any superpower that may wish to exert undue influence in the region, for whatever reasons, as in the case of the United States. And the timing, after Bush’s failure in Iraq, couldn’t be any more propitious for placing Iran as a scapegoat for this president. It’s ironic that the US can consider any action by a nation half-a-globe away, and weapons-shy as a threat to its security, particularly when that nation is land-bordered by seven countries, with another seven just across the Persian Gulf, now a Mare Nostrum for the US Navy and a depot for American WMD.

It’s sad that America is treating Iran, not just a country but an ongoing major civilization dating back millennia, with such lack of diplomacy and dignity. Or that the Arab nations do not seem to take this behavior as a personal affront. After all, wasn’t the large rough diamond of the pious and emerging Arab society cut and polished by the great acumen afforded by the Persian peoples of a millennium ago – in art, literature, medicine and other sciences, and intellectual/philosophical endeavors; plus a full spectrum of master craftsmen and trades? Will there be a better time to say thanks? Sunni and Shia, both!

Just because Bush’s popularity is at an all-time low does not mean that Americans have had an epiphany, and have become anti-war. Four years ago about 80% of Americans went along with the war. Now an almost equal number is unhappy and frustrated with “the conduct of the war”… but it’s doubtful that most are repentant for having gone to war. So the exact same mistake could be repeated time and again.

It will be very revealing whether the current Congress can make it clear to Mr. Bush that he doesn’t have a free hand in attacking Iran, or in exerting undue belligerence on anyone, no matter the lies and excuses the White House and the Pentagon will spin for us. Our children and grandchildren will be coping with the wrath we have unchained in Iraq; let’s stop there, and leave Iran intact. Enough IRA, enough WRATH!