'Are We Going To War With Iran?'

My friend Steve IMed me last night to ask that question. It's hardly a new question among dirty liberal hippies concerned, sane Americans, but Senator Lieberman's latest war fantasties on CBS' "Face The Nation" this weekend may have renewed fears.

Here's the situation, as I understand it. The neocon/Cheney faction is still aching for war, while the State Department/diplomat faction continues to push for diplomatic efforts. And President Bush is caught in the middle, likely angry that his administration is no longer ideologically on the same page, causing him to do way too much thinking for his own good.

So basically, whether or not the President intends to start another half-assed military adventure in his lame-duck term depends on whether Dick Cheney or Condoleeza Rice is more persuasive. And whether or not Congress has the balls to stop this train if it looks to be leaving the station. Although that's not an encouraging picture I just painted, another war still seems unlikely to me.