The Long Road to War with Iran

Raw Story has posted an exclusive investigative report about "Escalation of US Iran Military Planning Part of a Six-Year Administration Push." The report makes it clear that preparations for war with Iran are not a response to some sudden increase of Iranian influence in Iraq. Here's a quote:

While Iran was named a part of President George W. Bush's "axis of evil" in 2002, efforts to ignite a confrontation with Iran date back long before the post-9/11 war on terror. Presently, the Administration is trumpeting claims that Iran is closer to a nuclear weapon than the CIA's own analysis shows and positing Iranian influence in Iraq's insurgency, but efforts to destabilize Iran have been conducted covertly for years, often using members of Congress or non-government actors in a way reminiscent of the 1980s Iran-Contra scandal.