Petraeus Points to War with Iran

...according to Pat Buchanan, that is.

I found Buchanan's analysis to be equal parts scary and confusing, particularly where he warns us not to be surprised when Bush appears on television one day soon, announcing,

"My commanding general in Iraq, David Petraeus, has told me that Iran, with the knowledge of President Ahmadinejad, has become a privileged sanctuary for two terrorist organizations – Hezbollah and the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard – to train, arm and direct terrorist attacks on U.S. and coalition forces, despite repeated promises to halt this murderous practice.

"I have therefore directed U.S. air and naval forces to begin air strikes on these base camps of terror. Our attacks will continue until the Iranian attacks cease."

Anyone care to refute Buchanan's claim?

The troubling part about Buchanan's article is where he analyzes the questions General Petraeus faced while on Capitol Hill. Specifically, when Senator Lieberman, who clearly desires war with Iran, asked about the role of the "Iranian-backed special groups" as it pertains to the "murder of hundreds of US soldiers and thousands of Iraqi soldiers and civilians" Buchanan fails to clarify for the reader that the majority of the Iraqi (puppet) government is Shiia. I'm confused as to how a special group, supposedly backed by the Shiia government in Iran, can be responsible for both the the murder of thousands of Iraqis as well as attacks inside the Green Zone.

But I'm probably missing something, right? I mean, who has a greater stake in a stable Iraq--Iran, Iraq's neighbor, or the United States, a country situated thousands of miles away? Need we look beyond the fact that the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, arrived in Baghdad recently amidst (as Justin Raimondo puts it) "hugs and kisses" while our own President has to arrive "in the dead of night, out of fear for his safety?"

Regardless, it is not exactly a stretch to suggest that the Bush Administration has been salivating over the prospect of a conflict with Iran for years. Buchanan's analysis of an Iranian conflict and its subsequent impact on the US Presidential race is also accurate, even though I maintain conflict in the region will continue irrespective of who becomes our next President.