Foreign policy lies now entirely in the hands of Dubya and his close advisers. Make no mistake : Condi Rice is not an advisor but a loudspeaker. She will do whatever W says, and W will have more time to listen to other people. Genuine theoreticians. The more than slightly deranged kind of theoreticians, if I may bet...

The moderate Powell is gone, the ambitious Rice is high on power out of the Oval Office and W's gorgious set of ears are wide open without any filter to block noxious noises... Bases are loaded and these loonies can smack an out-of-the-park grand slam anytime they see fit.