PC, many on the right — led by Michael Ledeen of National Review — have been pointing to Iran as the right first target forever.
Iran has always been THE regional power: lots of oil money, much greater population, smart Persians.
The game plan was and is that Iraq was an easier convert-to-democracy target than Iran. Then, Iraqi democracy would spread to Iran. As you know, Iran has a highly restive, young, Western-oriented population, and the gamble was that a democracy in Iraq would be irrestistible for Iranians, and would provide the final impetus needed for a coup/counterrevolution.
The key assumption in the article is that the Iranians will do as we wish, or can live with, in regard to nuclear weapons, Hezbollah, North Korea, support for Chechens, etc. Iran wants to maintain their preeminence, and they do that through weaponry, support of terrorists, and quashing of local dissent. Wishful thinking by Baker and the old fogies to ‘accomodating’ Iran. Coup or counterrevolution is the only solution.
Yep, you guys on the left are going to be ‘discovering’ all of the permutations that we right-wingers have gone through, already. Kind of like me with my kids.
