The President went further in his message to the world than just re-stating the obvious. He put the clerics in Tehran on notice, saying "We'll interrupt the flow of support from Iran...," letting the Islamic Republic know that the United States intended to put a stop to, or at least degrade the Persian influence in its neighbor's internal affairs.

Almost immediately after the President spoke to the nation from a library inside the White House, American military forces in Iraq raided an Iranian consular office in the city of Irbil, detaining several Iranian citizens. Of course, this isn't the first time we've sent Tehran a message about its activities in Iraq. But in the past, we haven't been taken seriously. This time, though, may be different.

Think about it. I'm sure the Iranians, along with everyone else, expected the United States to start drawing down its forces in the region. Instead, the President did the opposite of what everyone was telling him. Instead, he decided to increase the U.S. presence in Iraq and ease the restrictiveness of the Rules of Engagement that our forces have been operating unde

The President went further in his message to the world than just re-stating the obvious. He put the clerics in Tehran on notice, saying "We'll interrupt the flow of support from Iran...," letting the Islamic Republic know that the United States intended to put a stop to, or at least degrade the Persian influence in its neighbor's internal affairs.

Almost immediately after the President spoke to the nation from a library inside the White House, American military forces in Iraq raided an Iranian consular office in the city of Irbil, detaining several Iranian citizens. Of course, this isn't the first time we've sent Tehran a message about its activities in Iraq. But in the past, we haven't been taken seriously. This time, though, may be different.

Think about it. I'm sure the Iranians, along with everyone else, expected the United States to start drawing down its forces in the region. Instead, the President did the opposite of what everyone was telling him. Instead, he decided to increase the U.S. presence in Iraq and ease the restrictiveness of the Rules of Engagement that our forces have been operating und

Almost immediately after the President spoke to the nation from a library inside the White House, American military forces in Iraq raided an Iranian consular office in the city of Irbil, detaining several Iranian citizens. Of course, this isn't the first time we've sent Tehran a message about its activities in Iraq. But in the past, we haven't been taken seriously. This time, though, may be different.

Think about it. I'm sure the Iranians, along with everyone else, expected the United States to start drawing down its forces in the region. Instead, the President did the opposite of what everyone was telling him. Instead, he decided to increase the U.S. presence in Iraq and ease the restrictiveness of the Rules of Engagement that our forces have been operating und

Think about it. I'm sure the Iranians, along with everyone else, expected the United States to start drawing down its forces in the region. Instead, the President did the opposite of what everyone was telling him. Instead, he decided to increase the U.S. presence in Iraq and ease the restrictiveness of the Rules of Engagement that our forces have been operating und

All of a sudden people in the United States and in Iran are wondering if the President is shifting some of his focus to another member of the "Axis of Evil," with American Senators warning Mr. Bush to stay out of Iran and Arab governments in the Middle East getting nervous because the United States was not doing what they expected, although secretly these Arab states are quite content for President Bush to take on the rising influence of the Shia in the region.

Surely Iran has to be giving this turn of events some serious thought. The Islamic Republic is in turmoil right now, with the cleric and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly losing his fight with cancer, and the future of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in some doubt as internal criticism of his administration increases. On top of the troubles within Iran's borders, the United Nations voted to impose sanctions on Tehran, even though the agreed upon package was a considerably watered down version of what the United States wanted. Now President Bush, leader of the "Great Satan," is ramping up the pressure and nobody is really sure what's coming next.

Maybe the increase in American forces in Baghdad and al-Anbar Province, along