Connecting Dots

If we and the British strike Iran in the near future, hopefully to support a revolt but maybe just to set back Iran's nuclear programs, these would be some of the dots:

Three American carrier battlegroups in the region.

Extra American troops in Iraq (five more brigades) and Afghanistan (1 more brigade) to deter Iran's counter-strikes or support the revolt.

Pressure on Syria over their role in Lebanon to keep Syria quiet.

Sadr in hiding and his militia knocked back to keep it from supporting Iran.

Vice President Cheney touring the region (to lock down support??).

Iran's teetering economy and domestic unrest.

And Blair's imminent retirement, which means that if my hunch about a joint decision to do something about Iran is right it is now or never.

Or nothing might happen. It is tough to connect dots before an event with any confidence that you are predicting what will happen. There are lots of dots. I see only a few. And think there could be significance to them. These dots are probably not related at all.

But I won't rule out that I'm brilliant. Not quite yet anyway.

UPDATE: We have a hard date on a potential strike on Iran, I think (which I hope is in support of a revolt). Prime Minister Blair will step down at the end of June. We will need Britain's support, although it is not inconceivable to me that we might also have French support--and I wrote that long before Sarkozy's election. If we don't directly address the problem of Iran in the next month or so, I'll have to conclude that we really are preparing to live with Iranian mullahs owning nuclear weapons.