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"It is a totally cynical policy now, where situations fester because of political convenience, and I think the 'axis of evil' is becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy."

Cynical? I doubt it. Even the US military, vast as it is, can't take on the whole world by itself. First, take out Iraq, which just happens to be a neighbor to Iran, then line up the next target.

Self fulfilling prophecy? Only if you spent the last few decades asleep and just woke up on 9/11, as most people did. These threats have been quietly growing in the background for years. While America concerned itself with presidential genital gymnastics, OJ trials and dot com mania other people in other lands have had other things on their minds: how to evade and undermine First World (vs. Third World) power while benefiting from it's largesse. These efforts are now bearing fruit.

Why now? 9/11 demonstrated that the US is not invulnerable; the US is increasingly isolated internationally as the old alliances fail; they see that if the Lilliputians act together they can render the US impotent.

Well, they can try, and might yet succeed, though a number to them will be squashed in the process.

Makes one wonder how much the anti war lefty thugs in control of the Guardian were paid by their cash cow Uncle Soddomite to point the nuclear finger at Iran.

Within a few weeks after Iraq falls, Iran will probably go down with massive revolutions inside of Iran. Millions of good Iranians have put up with these barbarian Murdering Mullahs since Jimmy Carter allowed them to seize power.

There will Murdering Mullah heads on Pikes all around Iran with a few weeks after their enemy Uncle Soddomite is killed.

Britain and the EU have urged Tehran to sign on to a "go-anywhere" inspection regime, but so far it has declined, citing the refusal of other countries in the region.

Possibly a reference to India and Pakistan? And Israel? Kazakhstan used to have them but gave them up...or so they say. Iran is an interesting case. While they have a radical Islamic clergy that hates us, they have a large and growing younger population that hates them. They have not recently been doing any power projection - they are not likely to try to invade anyone. They have been pretty darn quiet about Iraq (who they dislike, since Saddam invaded them and used chemical weapons on them.)

When we are occupying Iraq, they will be a next door neighbor. My prediction is they are going to try to pursue trade relations with "liberated Iraq". They are going to be pushed into a choice, and it will be interesting to see which way they go. But our occupation of Iraq will provoke a reaction. I see three possibilities:

1 - their clergy retains control, chooses to back Al Queda, puts troops on the Iraqi border, and we have a pissing contest until their clergy dies of old age or we invade them in turn in about 10 years.

2 - their "moderate" elements overthrow the clergy, remove them from the power structures, and pursues trade with Iraq and the US corporations that will move into Iraq.

3 - muddled chaos with elements of both the 1st two scenarios.