A pattern?

Michael Novak connnects a few dots on the First Things blog On the Square...

The point of blowing up the Mosque in Samarra was clearly political. The sacrilegious blast was meant to destroy any chance of a new democratic government from forming in Iraq. It was meant to precipitate immense passionate reactions, and counter reactions—in short, civil war. A huge, bloody civil war. In Iraq.

Almost immediately—did you notice?—the government of Iran announced that this horrible blast was an act of foreign intelligence: Israeli and American. The speed of Iran’s governmental campaign to spread this message suggested that some in Iran had advance warning, perhaps only to the extent that this sort of dramatic terror was coming any day. The next day, people were burning American and Israeli flags in the streets...

If you do not believe me, and I am no expert, just read their own documents. Listen to what their seemingly crazed leaders say on their own seemingly semi-crazed smuggled tapes. One of these times, don’t just shrug and say, “He’s nuts!” One of these times, stop and think: “He means it. He really means it.” And note what they are doing. And where, month by month, year by year. And how it all hangs together. There has been a record now, for some twenty years and more.

Entire post.