President Cheney and Iran by William M. Arkin

PRESIDENT CHENEY AND IRAN - WILLIAM M. ARKIN (WASHINGTON POST, JULY 23): The
loose talk of preemptive war against Iran does have consequences beyond the
fertile imagination of bloggers: In Tehran, hard-liners use every stray
speculation of imminent war to crack down and justify their nuclear pursuits.
Meanwhile, the United States is attempting to enlist Iran's assistance in
crafting some kind of honorable peace and withdrawal from Iraq -- a far more
consequential objective, and also one undermined by all the rumors and threats.
Too bad the administration isn't competent enough to correct its public
diplomacy and put these rumors to rest.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning/2007/07/president_cheney_and_iran_1.html