President Bush is a short-timer, heading out the door. Bush will do nothing provocative that could hurt McCain’s chances in November. The Western economies cannot handle an oil price shock as they teeter on the brink of recession. The military has no desire for a confrontation with Iran. Bush’s staff are writing resumes, interviewing for jobs or thinking about retirement. Bush’s time is over.

Iran will have their Mahdi bomb. All Iran has to do is stall for time. The West will talk and fret about their economies while centrifuges spin. The West is unable to muster the will to do what must be done.