At The New Yorker, Seymour Hersh (coincidentally, today is his 69th birthday) tells us Bush is intent on war with Iran. And we all know what happens when Bush wants war.
A government consultant with close ties to the civilian leadership in the Pentagon said that Bush was “absolutely convinced that Iran is going to get the bomb” if it is not stopped. He said that the President believes that he must do “what no Democrat or Republican, if elected in the future, would have the courage to do,” and “that saving Iran is going to be his legacy.”
One former defense official, who still deals with sensitive issues for the Bush Administration, told me that the military planning was premised on a belief that “a sustained bombing campaign in Iran will humiliate the religious leadership and lead the public to rise up and overthrow the government.” He added, “I was shocked when I heard it, and asked myself, ‘What are they smoking?’ ”
Key quote: “Speaking of President Bush, the House member said, ‘The most worrisome thing is that this guy has a messianic vision.'”