When Rumsfeld addressed the National Press club on Friday, February 3, 2006, and said, "Compelled by a militant ideology that celebrates murder and suicide with no territory to defend, with little to lose, they [Militant Islam] will either succeed in changing our way of life, or we will succeed in changing theirs," he was laying out the plan devised by the GOP braintrust. This braintrust (Rove and company), understands that fear of Soviet missles must be replaced with another fear if the GOP is to win elections in the future.
Rumseld, according to Josh White and Ann Scott Tyson of the Washington Post, went on to say that "the United States is engaged in what could be a generational conflict akin to the Cold War, the kind of struggle that might last decades as allies work to root out terrorists across the globe and battle extremists who want to rule the world."
The imminent bombing of Iran should be seen and judged in this light. Unless the GOP can change the political subject to "plausible threats against America" and claim to be defending Americans against those plausible threats, they stand no chance of retaining control of both houses this November, nor of retaining control of the White House in 2008. Because the GOP's hold on Congress is tenuous, the Bush administration is forced to rachet up the threat of Iran getting nukes and must also take action against them to prevent same. GOP Congress members and Senators running for reelection have already been advised that they must run on the terror platform if they are to win. Forget about the economy, health care, the deficit, etc. Run on terror or lose.
Iran will be attacked because the war against evil Islam is the only arrow in the GOP's quiver. McCain, who lusts for the presidency, knows this as well. He, too, will be beating the drums of war. He, too, needs dead Muslims if he is to win.
It makes no difference that the threat is not real, that American soldiers must die, that innocent Muslims must die. The GOP has no other issue with which to stimulate voters to pull the proper lever or punch the proper hole.
What is truly sad is that should this tactic work in November, the United States will indeed be engaged in a Long War, a war that will never end for as soon as it does, the GOP hold on power will come to an end.