Pushing Bush to Attack Iran

Bye Bye, Peace Push

Cooper and Kershner also note: "Ms. Rice's speech was also notable for what it did not contain; she did not say that the Israeli-Palestinian peace deal that the Bush administration has been pursuing could be achieved by the end of the year.

"'We still believe that we have a chance to reach an agreement on the basic contours of a peaceful Palestinian state,' Ms. Rice said. 'But if we can pursue this goal by the end of the year, it will be an historic breakthrough.'

"The difference seems small, but in the past President Bush and Ms. Rice have both spoken of sealing a deal by the end of the year, rather than simply pursuing one."

Here's how Corky Siemaszko summed it up in the New York Daily News: "So much for President Bush leaving office with Mideast peace as his legacy."

Fallon Watch

Back in March, Bush set off it set off a round of speculation about a plan to attack Iran when he forced out Admiral William J. "Fox" Fallon from his position as the top U.S. commander in the Middle East.

Fallon's departure was apparently precipitated, in part, by a Thomas P.M. Barnett story in Esquire that depicted Fallon as brazenly pushing back against the White House hawks eager to launch another war.

Fallon spoke publicly for the first time yesterday on CNN. And while he denied that Bush "wants a war," he didn't entirely deny that he fought Bush's orders.

"[T]he facts are that the situation was one that was very uncomfortable for me and, I'm sure, for the president," he told Kyra Phillips. "One of the most important things in the military is confidence in the chain of command. And the situation that developed was one of uncertainty and a feeling that maybe that I was disloyal to the president and that I might be trying to countermand his orders, the policies of the country. . . . The fact that people might be concerned that I was not appropriately doing what I was supposed to do and following orders bothered me, and my sense was that the right thing to do was to offer my resignation. . . . "

Phillips: "Barnett made it appear that you were the only man standing between the president and a war with Iran. Is that true?"

Fallon: "I don't believe for a second President Bush wants a war with Iran. The situation with Iran is very complex. People sometimes portray it or try to portray it in very simplistic terms -- we're against Iran, we want to go to war with Iran, we want to be close to them. . . . The reality is in international politics that [there are] many aspects to many of these situations, and I believe in our relationship with Iran we need to be strong and firm and convey the principles on which this country stands and upon which our policies are based. At the same time demonstrate a willingness and openness to engage in dialogue because there are certainly things we can find in common. . . . "

Phillips: "So when talk of the third war came out, a war with Iran, the president didn't say to you, 'This is what I want to do,' and did you stand up and say, 'No, sir. Bad move'?"

Fallon: "It's probably not appropriate to try to characterize it in that way. . . . I was very open and candid in my advice. I'm not shy. I will tell people, the leaders, what I think and offer my opinions on Iran and other things, and continue to do that."