There is good and bad news to any emerging realization by the Petronistas that Iran is too big a horse to break.
The good news, of course, is we might avoid World War III, at least for the time being.
The bad news is the itch to predate will almost certainly turn our full attention to Venezuela, a country undergoing a remarkable socialist renaissance hostile to almost everything the U.S. has come to stand for internationally.
Hugo Chavez has committed the "crime" of selling his oil to other countries, and demanding royalties actually be paid on oil pumped by outsiders in Venezuela. But, of course, it's going to be difficult to get a majority of the American people to go along with assassinating him for that reason.
So, expect the "terrorism" card to be played, and expect Chavez to be accused of being a dictator who supports terrorism. Expect Chavez to thus be called a threat to our strong democratic ally Colombia.
And, expect the rage meter for many of us to peg when that happens.
More below.
Most of you are aware of the fact Chavez has been fairly elected in democratic fashion twice, the last time by landslide. Most of you are aware of the fact the US supported a coup d'etat against Chavez. I hope most of you are aware of the fact Venezuela has actually cooperated in international terrorism issues.
I'm guessing some of you are unaware of how un"democratic" and pro-"terror" Colombia is under President Uribe. For this reason, I was happy to see an excellent article in this morning's Houston Chronicle, detailing the intimate relationship between Uribe, right-wing death squads, and the drugs they sell to finance their operations. Please keep these facts handy when the provocation- Colombian death squads will enter Venezuela while on "scout and patrol"- results in a strong response billed as "naked aggression" by the neocon elite.