BUSH SEEMS INTENT ON DEMONIZING IRAN AS GROUNDWORK FOR ATTACK

George Bush and Dick Cheney seem intent on creating a bogeyman out of Iran so that they can have "justification" to attack.

Yesterday, Juan Cole points out, when Iraqi prime minister Al-Maliki was visiting Teheran, the U.S. generals in Iran staged a raid against Al Sadr Shiite militia within Sadr City, during which the U.S. generals asserted over 30 Shiite fighters were killed. The generals claimed they were going after Iranian-backed insurgents. Residents claimed the killed and injured included civilians, women and children.

Additionally, Bush gave a TV interview to Neil Cavuto of Fox News saying that Iranians aiding insurgents would be brought to justice, and giving a non-committal answer to Cavuto's question on whether Bush was planning an attack on Iran.

And just today at a news conference before beginning his month-long vacation, Bush again tried to cast Iran as the troublemaker in Iraq. According to this AP story appearing in the NY Times web page, Bush spoke with hostility.

"The president described Iran as ''a destabilizing influence in the Middle East.''

"Noting that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was in Iran Thursday, Bush said he hoped his message would be the same as the United States' -- that Tehran should halt the export of sophisticated explosive devices into Iraq or ''there will be consequences.''"

Wait! Bush says Iran is exporting "sophisticated explosive devices into Iraq." The U.S. government has never given any proof for this assertion. There has been no evidence that Iran is doing this. All we have is the word of George W. Bush. Why is Bush saying this? Why is he threatening Iran with "consequences"?

For some reason, Bush & Co. want a military confrontation with Iran. Americans must not allow him to do this. Don't let George W. Bush start a war with Iran.