Who Decides When This Country Goes To War? Not The American People Obviously, Or Even President Bush

The situation with regard to war with Iraq is turning into a real mess. The US is pledged to defend Israel if attacked. So if Israel wants the US to attack Iran all Israel has to do is launch a first strike. Iran will regard any such attack as a coordinated effort by Israel and the United States and will respond in kind by firing short range missiles at US bases in Iraq. The US response will be to bomb Iran into the stone age, exactly what Israel wants. It seems to me that we are at Israel's mercy. She can involve us with a war in Iran any time she chooses.

One proviso. The Bush administration, which apparently is looking for any excuse to attack Iran, may very well welcome a first strike by Israel. The Iranian response to the attack will get Bush off the hook on the charges that he initiated the war. Yet he still gets to bomb Iran flat.