Greatest Idea Ever

So, so stupid:

Defense Secretary Robert Gates sketched out a long-term vision for securing Iraq that includes a continuing American military force that is a fraction the size of the one there today, no permanent U.S. bases and a significant Navy and Air Force presence in the Persian Gulf region.

In an interview in the Pentagon, Mr. Gates also said part of the long-range security structure would be stronger military partnerships with some of America's friends in the Gulf area, helping them build better counterterrorism forces as well as regional air- and missile-defense systems to check Iranian ambitions.

Maintaining a small military force in the region is the worst of both worlds. A smaller force will be more vulnerable to continued attacks and serves as a lighting rod and rallying point for all anti-U.S. forces.

But then again, this is all about Iran, as is everything else coming out of the administration's mouth on foreign affairs these days. Check Iranian ambitions? Last time I checked we'd done all we could to support them by destabilizing Iraq. Furthermore, Iran is already engaging in diplomacy with Sunni Saudi Arabia. Iran poses no military threat to the U.S. and only the delusional, bed-wetting neocons and authoritarians need to keep running around in a perpetual state of fear so they can justify lashing out at someone else to make themselves feel secure. See these posts over at TPM for more.

BTW, this just in:

The deputy commander of Iran's air force said Wednesday that plans have been drawn up to bomb Israel if the Jewish state attacks Iran, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

The announcement comes amid rising tensions in the region with the United States calling for a new round of U.N. sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear program and Israeli planes having recently overflown, and perhaps even attacked, Iranian ally Syria's territory.

Let's get something clear right now: Israel's interests are not necessarily aligned with the ours. They are merely another country and should not be treated specially. We really don't need to be Russia in 1914.

Spreading the War

Nothing good will come of this:

Israeli warplanes bombed unidentified Syrian targets early on Thursday, causing no damage or casualties, the official Syrian news agency said.

Syrian air defenses fired at the incoming planes, which crossed into Syria after midnight local time, the agency said.

"The Syrian Arab Republic warns the government of the Israeli enemy and reserves the right to respond according to what it sees fit," the agency said.

The Israeli military declined to comment on the air strike. Israel has long warned Syria to stop supporting militant Palestinian groups and the Lebanese movement Hezbollah.

Call me paranoid, but this is not entirely unrelated to the right wing's saber rattling over Iran. Someone's looking for an excuse.