Here's the key quote:ARTICLE: "Hezbollah Helps Iraq Shiite Army, U.S. Official Says: Iran Seen as Facilitator," by Michael R. Gordon and Dexter Filkins, New York Times, 28 November 2006, p. A1.
Iran is the one country standing between Bush and peace in the Middle East. Bush can't solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict without its say-so, because the mullahs are the biggest potential spoilers in the region. They fund the terrorist groups that can effectively veto peace efforts in both Jerusalem and Baghdad. Iran is the one regional power that can still menace the Gulf militarily. Everyone else there operates in Tehran's shadowsNah, just kidding. That's from my Feb "Mr. President" piece in Esquire in 2005.