The Guardian Newspaper this morning, over it’s story Rice lavishes praise on Britain - but attacks ‘loathed’ Iran carries an image of Condoleezza Rice and Jack Straw at their press conference yesterday where Rice asserted that military action was not on the agenda “at this point”. Mr Straw’s face, in the banner photo over the printed edition of the story, says more than either of their words.

Rice was far from honest. Military action is very much on the agenda - it is just not yet at the top of the agenda, and principally because the US is not ready to release troops from Iraq where things are going much worse than expected. Straw has been told all this and asked to carry on jollying along with the rest of Europe in the mean-time.

Rice has the air of an angry bulldog, Straw that of a weak and miscomprehending appeaser. This is an accurate image and Jack Straw is too simple a man to take on the liars and cheats of the Bush administration. He is unable to see through their facade and his own admiration for Ms Rice. He smiles weakly with eyes slightly downcast and the air of man who knows he is in the presence of someone stronger and better.

The US will launch military action against Iran before the end of 2005. Initially this will be bombing raids that require no troop involvement. It will be done in the hope that Iranian groups will rebel and overthrow their Government. In the Spring of 2006 America will withdraw troops from Iraq into Iran to achieve regime change and “democracy” there, spurred on by their “success” in Iraq and the failure of internal groups to act successfully.

We have seen all this before from America. Their freedom must be everyone else’s freedom. They are unable to see the cultural relativity of their own society and the long game which is international geopolitics. This is fundamentally due to the narcissistic disturbances of Mr Bush’s mind and the minds of his cohorts. When I posted two Wars for the Price of One back in November it was somewhat tongue in cheek. It seems I may have to swallow my tongue after all.