Hostages

It's 1979 in reverse.

The enormity of what happened in Irbil yesterday is just starting to become clear. To recap, U.S. forces raided the Iranian liaison office in Irbil -- apparently it's not an actual consulate -- seized a number of computers and other documents, and took six Iranian nationals into custody. The six are accused of involvement in attacks on U.S. forces. What will happen to them? Here's Eli Lake in today's New York Sun:

Another administration source yesterday said the White House and State Department do not consider the Iranians arrested yesterday to have diplomatic immunity because the building that was raided was not a consulate. This means that unlike senior Iranian officials arrested last month, those detained yesterday will likely not be returned to Iran.

Forgive me my daily shrillness, but ... have we just taken Iranian hostages? Practically everyone who's not part of the Bush administration has condemned the raid: the Kurdish warlord faction that controls Irbil, the Kurdistan Democratic Party, has denounced it furiously. The BBC quoted Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari as saying that all six have been working "under the approval of the (Iraqi) government."

What the hell is going on here? Are we daring the Iranians to try and rescue the hostages? Is this like the bully who kicks sand in the kid's eyes until he retaliates, then complains "well, he started it!" Only of course, sand isn't the weapon of choice.

Thank goodness for Jim Webb for asking what needs to be asked at this time, when the Administration is clearly trying to pick a fight and provoke a wider war.

...it's good to see him in particular asking the Secretary of State the question of the day: "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?" Rice's reply:

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.

In other words, "let me spend a few days with my lawyers coming up with something slippery enough for me and my husband President to wriggle out of."

Chris Matthews isn't going to let go of this, he's been out there questioning the Iran policy ever since the President's speech. It's vital that nobody stops looking at this issue. It's a prelude to madness.