Meanwhile, in the real world

While all the old hens (read, "MSM") cluck and cluck over who's going to win the New Hampshire, Bush and Israel are preparing to nuke Iran:

In the midst of a highly competitive US presidential race, events occurring in the Middle East are threatening to take center stage.

As CNN reported Monday, a US Navy vessel was given orders to fire on an Iranian ship which purportedly threatened to "explode" it and was dropping white boxes in the water. Meanwhile, a little noticed report in the UK press gives new fears to those who believe the US is still considering mounting an attack on Iran.

Israel security officials are set to brief President Bush on their "Iran file" regarding the country's alleged nuclear weapons program "and how it could be destroyed - when he begins a tour of the Middle East in Jerusalem this week," the UK Times Uzi Mahnaimi reported Sunday.

"Ehud Barak, the defence minister, is said to want to convince him that an Israeli military strike against uranium enrichment facilities in Iran would be feasible if diplomatic efforts failed to halt nuclear operations," the paper added. "A range of military options has been prepared."