US troops raid Iranian consulate in Northern Iraq

Seymour Hersh, originally uploaded by Lindsay Beyerstein.

"Don't bet against him." Investigative journalist Sy Hersh on why we should take Bush's stated desire to attack Iran seriously, despite the superficial craziness of the plan.

US troops raided the Iranian consulate in Northern Iraq. The Americans are holding six Iranian officials for questioning. [CNN]

The U.S. official would not identify the Iranian officials or say why they were being questioned.

In an earlier statement, the U.S. military said the individuals were "suspected of being closely tied to activities targeting Iraqi and coalition forces" and that their arrests came "without incident."

It's surely not a coincidence that Bush railed against Iranians and Syrians who were allegedly helping Iraqi insurgents. Iran is a convenient dual scapegoat for the debacle in Iraq. First of all, Iranian interference helps explains why Iraq is such a disaster. Second, the alleged problem of Iranian interference suggests a solution near and dear to Bush's heart: Attacking Iran. It's too soon to tell, but I really wonder if Bush isn't determined to go double or nothing.