Chlorophyll

He rules his country, but the country is divided in its opinions about his policies. Critics berate him for arrogance combined with incompetence. He believes has a higher calling not only to enforce religious policy in his country, but to spread it beyond his borders. He's done nothing to help the poor, but his failures are so obvious that even some conservatives are starting to distance themselves from him.

Am I talking about President Bush, or Iran's President Ahmadinejad? Yes.

This latest saber-rattling by the administration is the most blatant war-mongering I've ever seen... and that's saying something. As if fighting two wars at a time (and not really winning either), now we're careening towards a third. At least in Afghanistan, we were trying to find Osama Bin Laden, who most likely masterminded the savage attacks of 9/11. In Iraq, we attacked because we felt like it, and because they have a lot of oil. Now W claims we have to prevent Iraq from developing a nuclear program, a statement whose hubris is matched by its hypocrisy.

It's not that I think Iran should have a nuclear program -- far from it. I don't think anyone should have a nuclear program.

Nor am I any fan of Ahmadinejhad. He's one of the most reactionary elements in a reactionary country. He's a demagogue, but his domestic base is crumbling. So, what have leaders always done when they were weak on the domestic front? Find a situation that makes them look good on the international front -- and no situation makes a leader look as good as defending the country against an attack.

That means that Ahmedinejahad would love for the US to attack, and will probably do all he can to provoke it.

This is the starkest madness -- on both sides. A military conflict would be a catastrophe. It's already going to take us a generation to recover from the damage we've done in Iraq. If we attack Iran, it will be two generations.

We must not only oppose military adventurism, we must make it explicitly clear that the people of the USA have nothing against the people of Iran. This conflict is between our respective so-called "leaders," and then only because it's convenient, not because they have any special hatred for each other. But it won't be convenient for the men and women who die for their political advantage.

This attach must stop before it starts.