Rudy Giuliani, during a visit to Sean Hannity’s alternate universe last night: “I think it was only a month ago that many of these Democrats were talking about increasing the number of troops in Iraq.” See the video here.

I’m getting some hints that this raid on the Iranian consulate in northern Iraq may be part of something much bigger. Is there a classified presidential directive to the CIA and DOD to take down Syrian and Iranian operations inside Iraq, even so far as operations into Iranian and Syrian territory? And is the aim here to provoke a conflict with one or the other of these states? To provoke an attack from Iran perhaps? The plan from the neocons was always to build the chaos outwards. Never too late, I guess. Watch this. Something’s up.

Steve Clemons has more.

Condi: Planning ahead is a bad idea.

Relative to what I said below about expanding operations against Iran and Syria, note Joe Biden’s exchange today with Condi Rice in which he warned her that an attack on Iran would “generate a constitutional confrontation in the Senate, I predict to you.”

A comment like that doesn’t come out of the blue.

This is a dangerous time for the US for many reasons. One reason is that I’m not sure the real issues are getting aired for the American public. In itself, I doubt the ‘surge’ is the big issue on the table. I think we’re talking about escalation on an entirely different level. Or that’s the real issue in the background, as yet unstated — high-stakes reckless gambits aimed at busting the White House out of the box they’ve gotten themselves and us into. Remember, build the chaos outwards.

Shocking, right?

From Newsweek …

Sen. Joe Lieberman, the only Democrat to endorse President Bush’s new plan for Iraq, has quietly backed away from his pre-election demands that the White House turn over potentially embarrassing documents relating to its handling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans.

Lieberman’s reversal underscores the new role that he is seeking to play in the Senate as the leading apostle of bipartisanship, especially on national-security issues. On Wednesday night, Bush conspicuously cited Lieberman’s advice as being the inspiration for creating a new “bipartisan working group” on Capitol Hill that he said will “help us come together across party lines to win the war on terror.”

Bill Arkin sees another clue about apparent White House plans to pick a fight with Iran and Syria. I don’t think it’s too much to say that the addition of 20,000 US troops into Baghdad is a footnote in comparison to the trouble this portends. The Veep’s office and the nutjobs are still running the show. Condi is still a mere cipher.

A written answer it’ll be very interesting to see. From today’s Condi testimony …

Sen. Webb: And this is a question that can be answered either very briefly or through written testimony, but my question is: Is it the position of this administration that it possesses the authority to take
unilateral action against Iran in the absence of a direct threat without congressional approval?

Secy. Rice: Senator, I’m really loathe to get into questions of the president’s authorities without a rather more clear understanding of what we are actually talking about. So let me answer you, in fact, in writing. I think that would be the best thing to do.

Sen. Webb: I would appreciate that.

Compare and contrast …

CNN …

In Washington, a U.S. official confirmed that six Iranian officials were detained for questioning. But he disputed accounts that troops broke open a consulate gate and conducted a raid.

“No shots were fired. No altercation ensued,” said the official. “It was a knock on the door and, ‘Please come out.’ “

NYT …

American troops backed by attack helicopters and armored vehicles raided an Iranian diplomatic office in the dead of night early Thursday and detained as many as six of the Iranians working inside.

The Times piece has more good details on just what happened yesterday in Erbil — later in the day US troops got in an armed stand-off with Kurdish troops, with tensions over the consulate raid apparently being the triggering event.

You remember the Kurds. They’re the ones who like us …

Today’s Must Read: the president rolls out The New Way Forward at that most reliable of backdrops, an army base, but… the old magic is gone.

Flynt Leverett: The Bush speech was about Iran, not Iraq.