Ever since the Bush Administration began to make noises about Iran's nuclear development program, the peace movement has been on pins and needles.  We've always known that the reason behind the Iraq war was the Neo-Con plan to establish a permanent military presence in the Middle East.  One good look at a map of the Middle East discloses that Iran is just too obvious a monkey wrench in the hegemony works for the Neo-Cons to ignore. 

The invasion of Iraq was the first shoe to drop.  Since then, we have waited with fear induced bated breath for the second.  Israel's invasion of Lebanon to attack Hezbollah caused us to suck in our breath once more against the possibility that this would be the fuse for expansion into Iran.  Many thought the U.S. would attack directly while others expected Israel to do it and then be backed by the U.S. BushCo drew their sabers again, but their rattling was muted by concerted efforts on the part of anti-war activists and other world powers.  The world was watching too closely, so the swords were put away, but attention was carefully drawn to what BushCo called the certainty that Iran was developing nuclear weapons.

That effort to garner support for an invasion was squelched, too, by UN and IAEA reports that made Iranian weapons development seem much less likely than the picture the Cheneyites were painting.

Still that second shoe was firmly fixed in the Neo-Cons' hands, and their dream of controlling the politics and resources of the Middle East keeps it poised for the drop.

At first this week's Israeli attacks on Gaza were a puzzler.  What exactly kicked them off?  What did Israel think they would gain by this?  Why were not only bombing the hell out of the Palestinians but also denying them any form of medical care or other relief?  It's almost as if they are doing everything they could to anger everyone at all favorably inclined toward Palestine. 

Then John Bolton spoke up and it all became clear. As reported by Citizens for Legitimate Government (http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news), Bolton stretched the Israeli/Palestinian conflict into a possible "multi-front war".  He said that the situation could cause the U.S. to attack Iran because that country is supplying arms to Hamas for use against Israel.  He was also careful to drag out the nuclear weapons charge again saying, "I don't think there's anything at this point standing between Iran and nuclear weapons other than the possibility of the use of military force possibly by the United States, possibly by Israel."

So there it is - exactly the same threats as before.  The same arguments, too, and the same fear-mongering.  It's the old adage of repeating something often enough to get enough support to do whatever you have been after all along.  Could it be that the Israeli attacks are calculated to stir up enough anger and fear in the Middle East to generate western support for expanded military efforts there?

If so, the best hope is that the plot will backfire again.  The world is withdrawing its support for Israel in this bloody mess.  Israeli's themselves are split on the bombing. Ha'aretz, Israel's leading newspaper says,  "Israel's violent responses, even if there is justification for them, exceed all proportion and cross every red line of humaneness, morality, international law and wisdom."  (http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/12/29-0)

The American peace movement cannot afford to stand silent at this crucial time.  Bolton's statements have made it perfectly clear that BushCo would like to fan the flames of expanded war and create a reason to attack Iran.  It seems impossible given that they have only three weeks left in office, but there has long been talk, too, of the probability of some drastic action designed to allow them to declare martial law and forestall the installation of Barack Obama as president.

That's an outrageously far fetched notion that seems more the stuff of a political novel than a potential reality, but then again this administration has successfully moved this nation much closer to a fascistic takeover than I ever dreamed would be possible in the America I grew up in.  I won't espouse this most drastic of all possible conspiracy theories, but I will declare my belief that the Neo-Cons, their big wheels and their mindless cogs would do anything they thought they could get away with to make their nightmarish dreams come true.

If you are an activist, I urge you to join me on the streets of America over the next few days in the march to try and awaken the citizenry to the danger the world faces as a result of the Israeli attacks on Palestine.