It's beginning to look a lot like

It's (unfortunately) beginning to look a lot like deja vu all over again. Back in late 2002 and early 2003, when Boo was just a few months old, it was clear to both LOML and to me that Bush was determined to attack Iraq. At the time, as now, we were not sycophants of Bush. As such, we could see that some of his claims were questionable: there were plenty of sources, credible sources, questioning whether Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass distraction, not least the IAEA, who wanted most of all for their inspectors to be allowed to do their jobs. Boo got to attend quite a few vigils in a stroller in her early years: unfortunately none of them had any effect.

Today we learn that the Revolutionary Guard (boy, I bet they are wishing they had called themselves the Republican Guard right now) in Iran are officially being designated a proliferator of weapons of mass destruction. By the US, that is, in case there were any confusion. Its elite forces are being designated supporters of terrorism. These designations are accompanied by sanctions: this all sounds like a precursor to a drumbeat for attack.

The difference is, five years on, even in this country people are sceptical of anything that Bush or his administration says. And this time round that might even apply to the majority of democrats, perhaps even to a majority of those in Congress. If so, there is some hope that this inexorable swell to agression can be stopped in its tracks.

My suspicion is that if the administration wants to beat this drum, even here in the conservative south, they're going to discover massive opposition to their plans.

Yours, alarmed by the drumbeat,
N.