Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) must be feeling the need to show what a staunch, hard-ass Republican he is. Abandoning his usual pretense of being a moderate, he's advocating that the US goverment must prepare for war against Iran, and not just a few air attacks, but to cause regime change. Maybe he's been drinking with Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) a little too much...

Graham said he believes Ahmadinejad "was lying" when he said Sunday in New York, after arriving for the U.N. General Assembly session this week, that Iran isn't building a nuclear bomb.

"From my point of view, if we engage in military operations as a last resort, the United States should have in mind the goal of changing the regime," Graham said. "Not by invading (Iran), but by launching a military strike by air and sea."

Such an attack would be aimed not only at eliminating Iran's nuclear capabilities, Graham said, but at rendering Ahmadinejad's government powerless.

In order to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, he said, a U.S. attack would be preferable to an Israeli attack because the American military is more powerful and more likely to achieve regime change.

So let's get this straight. Because you believe that Iran is building a nuclear weapon (which at best estimates, is at least 1 to 5 years distant from such a goal), the US government should abandon diplomatic engagement with Iran, develop military plans to attack Iran (which won't be supported by any other nation - well, maybe Britain will), attack Iran by air and sea with the goal of overthrowing the regime, and then NOT use ground forces to assure regime change because the Iranian populace will be so grateful that they're being bombed by the United States that they will overthrow the religious leadership that empowers the government. No post-conflict occupation necessary.

Yeah. That'll work. Because nothing motivates a government to stop building a nuclear weapon like the words "regime change." And what a great time to suggest it, while we have that friendly government in Iraq now, and our Air Force is still providing "security." Remind me again, Lindsey Graham is actually an Air Force officer? Oh, an Air Force lawyer. That explains a few things, the lack of intelligent discourse on strategic affairs, for instance. What an ass. Or maybe this is just another aspect of that strange South Carolina political environment.