Chess and Checkers

Steve Clemon's favorably cites this essay by Martin Walker of UPI in which Walker says while the US plays poker, Iran is playing chess. I'd rather think Bush is playing checkers myself. Regardless, Clemon's, after citing Walker's piece, writes this:

What worries me about Iran's perceptions of American weakness -- and America has become weaker in the region and globally -- is that superpowers with swagger and considerable ego don't usually acknowledge their failings. In desperation and attempting to show that their resolve is solid and military strength robust, big nations having a bad time strike out to prove a point.

George W. Bush may strike Iran not only because of a military rationale that his advisors assemble but because he wants to reassure the world that America still has the backbone and capacity to hit other countries -- ironically undermining the very perception of power he is trying to transmit.

The combination of a weakened U.S. and pretentious Iran is highly dangerous, despite many who think that rational calculators will prevail at the end of the day.

This is exactly what it is coming down to. We know Bush is utterly incapable of crafting and negotiating a 'grand bargain' so all we are left with is doing what we can to prevent the administration from attacking Iran, and hoping the Iranians don't miscalculate to badly before Bush's term expires.