'Preparing for the worst': It would be criminally negligent not to be planning for possible war with Iran. So I put some stock in Seymour Hersh's latest revelation about the administration's alleged militarily planning for a mullah showdown. But a couple random points: A.) Take what Sy says with a grain of salt. He has his own blindspots, one of them being a focus on the negative when it comes to the Bush administration (concentrating on the positive is not in his DNA) and B.) I now believe it was almost criminally negligent of the administration not to have adequately planned for a post-invasion Iraq. So I don't put it beyond the Bushies to screw this one up too. I have little faith they're exhausting non-military options and analyzing various consequences of different actions. Their own negative DNA pattern is to reach a 'consensus' and then criticize anyone who offers alternative views. ... FYI: The Times of London is also confirming military action is being contemplated, with sligtly different timetables and other details. ... Two encouraging words to describe events in nearby Iraq: Zalmay Khalilzad. I admire and trust the guy. If we succeed there despite the odds, Khalilzad will have earned much of the credit. Of course he only rose to the top after prior spectacular blunders by the administration. ...  ¶ 8:02 AM