War with Iran?

It is hard to believe that some mistakes are innocent.

Iran lifted its ban on CNN on Tuesday after the U.S. network apologized over mistranslating comments by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Iran imposed a ban on the network and its reporters Monday after CNN misquoted the president as speaking of developing "nuclear weapons" when he actually referred to "nuclear energy."
...
In its apology, Atlanta-based CNN said Monday it had "quoted Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as saying that Iran has the right to build nuclear weapons.

"In fact, he said that Iran has the right to nuclear energy. He added that 'a nation that has civilization does not need nuclear weapons and our nation does not need them.'

Yahoo pointed to this story at CBC Arts Online from New Brunswick, Canada. Not the most prominent place for what seems an important piece of news. A little more digging did reveal that U.S. media is carrying it, but pretty obscurely.

Lots of people have laid out all sorts of good reasons why the U.S. is in no position to attempt another preemptive war. One such here. All this is probably true, but entirely too many wars have begun with stumbling and bumbling in the past.

UPDATE: I can't resist adding one more trenchant comment on Iran from Simon Jenkins in the UK Guardian:

Iran is a serious country, not another two-bit post-imperial rogue waiting to be slapped about the head by a white man.

Read the rest.