Fire burn and cauldron bubble?

I have always believed in my gut (according to Bush, the source of all knowledge) that the war on Iraq was cooked up as a supremely cynical Republican strategy to put Bush in a place where the entire country would do his bidding, and it pretty much turned out that way, didn’t it?

Now read Josh Marshall's piece in Talking Points Memo and accompanying post by Mark Schmitt at TPM Cafe, and referenced article in Time — and see if you get as worried as I am.

Josh wrote:

The White House is now telling us that engineering a confrontation with Iran is a key part of their plan to resuscitate the president's dismal approval ratings in time to survive election day.
. . .
To the president the Democrats should be saying, Double or Nothing is Not a Foreign Policy.

And here's Mike Allen, writing for Time:

Presidential advisers believe that by putting pressure on Iran, Bush may be able to rehabilitate himself on national security, a core strength that has been compromised by a discouraging outlook in Iraq. "In the face of the Iranian menace, the Democrats will lose," said a Republican frequently consulted by the White House.

Here's my question: Will it turn out to be George Bush or the Congress — or the American people — who just never seem to learn?