All Intensive Purposes

Fred Kaplan:

It's an odd thought, but a military coup in this country right now would probably have a moderating influence.

Josh Marshall suggested the other day that there are two powerful constituencies in the White House likely to push a hard line towards Iran: those worried about the GOP's prospects in the November elections, and the Vice President's office, with its medieval view of foreign relations. Is there anyone to push back? One might place one's hopes in the State Department, but has Condoleeza Rice been able to block Cheney and Rumsfeld on something of this consequence before? More to the point, do we think that whatever prudence might lurk in Bush's character can overcome his messianic impulses (or thirst for a positive legacy)? Five years into this Administration, we should abandon the conceit that Bush is a weakling at the hands of palace intriguers. Maybe five years ago, and maybe on other issues, but not here and now.

Military officers evidently are not willing to wait for the Secretary of State to tutor the President towards caution. Kaplan's article is about discontent with Rumsfeld in the senior ranks. This same unhappiness surely prompted the leaks from the Pentagon featured in Seymour Hersh's much-blogged-about article in The New Yorker. Dan Drezner spots more of the same in the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times.

Where are the Democrats? You'd think they could give the generals some covering fire. But too many Democrats cannot even come to terms with where they went wrong on Iraq.