THIS MODERN WORLD

Here are the most important parts:

This summer, the White House, pushed by the office of Vice-President Dick Cheney, requested that the Joint Chiefs of Staff redraw long-standing plans for a possible attack on Iran, according to former officials and government consultants. The focus of the plans had been a broad bombing attack, with targets including Iran’s known and suspected nuclear facilities and other military and infrastructure sites. Now the emphasis is on “surgical” strikes on Revolutionary Guard Corps facilities in Tehran and elsewhere, which, the Administration claims, have been the source of attacks on Americans in Iraq. What had been presented primarily as a counter-proliferation mission has been reconceived as counterterrorism…

At a White House meeting with Cheney this summer, according to a former senior intelligence official, it was agreed that, if limited strikes on Iran were carried out, the Administration could fend off criticism by arguing that they were a defensive action to save soldiers in Iraq. If Democrats objected, the Administration could say, “Bill Clinton did the same thing; he conducted limited strikes in Afghanistan, the Sudan, and in Baghdad to protect American lives.” The former intelligence official added, “There is a desperate effort by Cheney et al. to bring military action to Iran as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the politicians are saying, ‘You can’t do it, because every Republican is going to be defeated, and we’re only one fact from going over the cliff in Iraq.’ But Cheney doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the Republican worries, and neither does the President”…

The revised bombing plan for a possible attack, with its tightened focus on counterterrorism, is gathering support among generals and admirals in the Pentagon. The strategy calls for the use of sea-launched cruise missiles and more precisely targeted ground attacks and bombing strikes, including plans to destroy the most important Revolutionary Guard training camps, supply depots, and command and control facilities.

I bolded the sentence about Pentagon support for this plan because that’s critical. I’m working on a piece about congressional opposition to an attack on Iran, and let me tell you, there is essentially none. The only thing that might stop Bush and Cheney is the military. It’s extremely significant if their resistance is weakening.

AND: Hersh will be on CNN’s Late Edition today (meaning at some point between 11 am-1 pm ET) talking about the article.

There’s been a lot of complaining about Democratic leadership (and the lack therof) lately. I could probably find a half dozen examples from this week alone. I’ll spare you a rehash of the standard “what’s wrong with ____?” post and just point to this powerful example of what happens when a politician is put in a position between following his heart and following the polls. Here’s the Republican mayor of San Diego (via waxy):

Sad to think that I can’t remember the last time I saw a politician being this honest.

I’ll be giving a presentation at the Charles Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California, on Saturday from 1-3 p.m. According to their website

although special presentations are FREE with Museum admission, seating in the Auditorium is limited. Tickets will be available at the Museum cashier starting at 10am on Saturday, September 29.

The last time I was at the site was in 1992, to have lunch and talk about cartooning with Charles Schulz himself, who was extraordinarily generous with his time. Needless to say, it’s an honor to have been invited back. I’ve been putting a lot of time into the presentation, and I’ll be showing some stuff that’s basically never been seen. It should be a good event.

(After that I’ll be taking a little time off, but I’m sure my esteemed co-bloggers will keep you entertained…)

We found out with Ahmadinejad how Columbia President Lee Bollinger introduces foreign leaders who are (1) unsavory and (2) Official Enemies of the United States. Bollinger doesn’t back down! He tells it like it is!

So, how does he introduce foreign leaders who are (1) unsavory and (2) Official Friends of the United States? John Caruso has the details.

So sad. According to David Brooks today, the influence of the netroots peaked last August and has been waning ever since. His evidence for this grim conclusion? The fact that Hillary Clinton’s campaign is doing well, despite the fact that some bloggers prefer Obama and/or Edwards.

The Keyboard Kingpin might as well shut his site down right now.

Brooks also helpfully explains that the “victory formula” for Democrats is to act in accordance with the beliefs of David Brooks (Greenwald has more on that here).

The column ends with this little anecdote:

Both liberals and Republicans have an interest in exaggerating the netroots’ influence, but in reality that influence is surprisingly marginal, even among candidates for whom you’d think it would be strong.

Several weeks ago, I asked John Edwards what the YearlyKos event was like. He couldn’t remember which event I was talking about, and looked over to an aide for help.

Actually, I wonder if the exchange didn’t go more like this:

(As always, readers interested in the relative veracity and insights of David Brooks are encouraged to read Sasha Issenberg’s classic “Boo Boos in Paradise.”)