Bush Demonstrates His Contempt For Diplomacy

I am surprised he waited. Mere hours after declaring war on Iran, US soldiers raided an Iranian consulate in Iraq. Now we have six Iranians personnel held hostage and the circle is complete. The helpful White House PowerPoint presentation lists attacking Iran right up front, as a Key Tactical Shift: "Increase operations against Iranian actors"

Under International law and practice, embassy grounds may not be entered by the host country without permission. That after all is the whole point of refugee asylum in embassies. Even the North Koreans respect this, that is why North Korean nationals in China flee to third-party embassies.

Lawlessness in Iraq now being spread by the United States. What other country would President Bush dare to attack an embassy? Can even Prime Minister Blair tolerate standing with the President on this one? The governments of the world will condemn us.

The President's action demonstrates the contempt with which he holds diplomacy. Unless the military quickly exposes the facility as a bomb producing plant, we have some explaining to do.