Germans pull out of Iran sanctions - FoxNews hypes bombing Iran

Two bits of news here. First, Germany backs out of the US anti-Iran sanctions coalition. (The breaking point appears to be the designation if the Revolutionary Guard as a terror group.)

Germany — a pivotal player among three European nations to rein in Iran's nuclear program... — notified its allies last week that the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel refuses to support the imposition of any further sanctions against Iran that could be imposed by the U.N. Security Council.

But, as interestingly, this article reports on the growing "bomb Iran" movement, giving a timeline and even naming some surprising names.

Political and military officers, as well as weapons of mass destruction specialists at the State Department, are now advising Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that the diplomatic approach favored by Burns has failed and the administration must actively prepare for military intervention of some kind. Among those advising Rice along these lines are John Rood, the assistant secretary for the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation; and a number of Mideast experts, including Ambassador James Jeffrey, deputy White House national security adviser under Stephen Hadley and formerly the principal deputy assistant secretary for Near Eastern affairs.

Consequently, according to a well-placed Bush administration source, "everyone in town" is now participating in a broad discussion about the costs and benefits of military action against Iran, with the likely timeframe for any such course of action being over the next eight to 10 months, after the presidential primaries have probably been decided, but well before the November 2008 elections.

As much as there is a lopsided policy balance in the administration between Cheney and Rice, Stephen Hadley represents a key swing vote. If he has, in fact, switched to the "bomb Iran" side, the momentum is already underway.