Is Iran just one year away from a nuclear bomb? (And is this the excuse Bush needs?)

A couple of years ago, U.S. intelligence experts estimated that Iran was a decade away from having the capacity to produce any nuclear weapons.

But now there are reports that Iran has been very busy making up for lost time.

According to an article in the Christian Science Monitor, Reuters is reporting that "President Ahmedinejad asserted the country now has 3,000 centrifuges to enrich uranium, which could produce fuel for either nuclear reactors or a bomb."

The article goes on to say that "3,000 machines running smoothly for long periods at supersonic speed could make enough enriched uranium for an atomic bomb in about a year, if Iran wanted."

Yikes!

So this raises a few questions:

• Is Ahmedinejad telling the truth, or is he exaggerating and grandstanding like madmen sometimes do when they feel threatened?

• In either case, will Bush and Cheney try to use this to justify an attack on Iran, which they've been itching to do for some time?

• Will more people have to die for Bush's cowboy-style foreign policy?

• Will Congess please grow a spine and do some pre-emptive policymaking?

Oh, forget that last question. I think we already know the answer.