Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran...Canada??

Via TPM comes this tip to a column by the Washington Monthly's Kevin Drum, about Iran's diplomatic overture to the United States in the aftermath of the "liberation" of Iraq. And an anonymous source may supply the keystone to the conservative arches of power. The magic words: regime change.

The source, on attempts to agree on a National Security Policy Directive for dealing with Iran, said the effort failed "because officials in Cheney's office and in Undersecretary of Defence for Policy Douglas Feith's Office of Special Plans wanted a policy of regime change and kept trying to amend it." That's right, 3 years ago, Vice President Cheney and alleged Decider President Bush were already focused on bringing down the next government in their Axis of Evil. And they are now following the same script again as if the whole thing were on rails.

So. What's the end game here? I'm sure this crowd believes that once they pull their strings on the electorate this fall and keep GOP majorities in Congress, and after sliding Cheney out and Condoleeza Rice in to the role of natural heir, they will have a clear path to overthrow Iran and realize their fondest neocon wet dreams for the next decade. So beyond asking, you and what freakin army??, I have to wonder how they themselves conceive of this power they claim. Is it Eminent Domain on steroids? Total Dominion? And once they have defeated terrorism and radical Islam, where next to flex our almighty-blessed muscles?

O Canada!

Is global warming starting to look a bit real, even to GOP donors? We all know Republicans can't do science, it won't get published if their results don't follow the party line. Ignore the facts, we're trying to prove God's plan. But businessmen are another matter. With eyes less clouded by ideology, perhaps some can see that real scientists are essentially in agreement. Global warming is happening. And businesses that plan to remain in business need to plan for the long term. Businesses like, oh, say, Halliburton?

So I have a question for the Heritage Foundation. When the Gulf Stream and the rest of the thermohaline circulation collapse, and America faces threats of agricultural disruption and receding coastlines, will we even need to give a reason to change the regime in Canada? Mexico? Something like, Hey, they have some land and stuff that we might need? I'm just asking. There's no chance anybody in the rest of the world will be dealing with us by then, unless it's to gang up and kick our asses.