Anyone who thinks the GOP ass-kicking on election day forever quelled the neoconservatives doesn't know a Clean Break when they see one.

First we have William Kristol gingerly weighing in that the Israeli foray into Gaza may create a rent in the time/space continuum to sweep away all grudges valid and spurious in the Middle East, imbue "Arabs on the street" with solid faith in Israel's righteous template for co-existence, and allow peace to flourish. Oh! And Kelly Clarkson will finally land a permanent singing career.

Sounds impossible... I know.

Now Robert D. Kaplan is tooting in the Atlantic that, "Israel has, in effect, launched the war on the Iranian empire that President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, in particular, can only have contemplated."

That's right! You only thought this war was a public-relations disaster for Israel - this war in which now over 500 persons have been killed, about 30 percent of them civilians and many of them children (added to that, the thousands that have been wounded). Yeah... almost 45 percent of Americans think it's a bad idea (unlike our elected officials)... so what!

Can't you spoiled punks see we're fighting Tehran here?!

"Given the historical record, the current level of hostility between Israel and Iran may not be the last word in regional geopolitics. For there are cataclysms to come, and the real battle for the soul of the region may be fought in Iran itself.

"For the moment, now that Israel has launched a war, we need it to succeed, rather than be compromised by the kind of ceasefire that allows Hamas to regroup. If that happens, our leverage with Iran will be further reduced, with negotiations yielding little. But once Israel does succeed, then we will need to bear down on it hard, in the service of negotiations with both Arabs and Iranians. If he is smart, President-elect Barack Obama will now be quietly rooting for Israel."

It's bigger than us, DAMMIT! This is about the struggle of civilizations! Our generation's Dunkirk! (Hopefully, gulp, not Bataan) It's about validating the tired, old marching orders of 2002-'03. Remember them? Remember... "on to Tehran"?

We give this mess one little push in the right direction and the whole house of cards will fall right into place. Democracy will break out! Flowers... candy in our path!...

Please ask the nurse to change my ice. And be so kind to chase those flying monkeys out of the room!