That old black magic

Well, Hersh has done it again, with another fine expose. This time out, he's revealing the secret plans for Operation Iraqi Freedom II: Iran.

Among the highlights of the piece is the resurfacing of that old chestnut that Cheney was so fond of offering in support of the Iraqi invasion: that an initial American strike would set off a natural eruption of anti-regime violence that will take care of the bulk of the fighting for us.

Another gem is Rummy's inventive back-door solution to the consolidation of intelligence outside of the Pentagon. By having the President sign findings and orders that authorize "black intelligence" operations, Rummy can gather intelligence without having to report to congress, the way the CIA would if they ran a covert operation. Rummy's playing these ops so close to the vest that he's not even sharing the information they gathered with his CINC's. So, not only has intelligence reform failed to streamline the flow of information, it has deepend the fractures between our spies and our military commanders.