You can't say he doesn't warn us.

Well before he took us to war in Iraq, the president gave us plenty of notice about his plans, starting with his announcement of the doctrine of preemption. And all the way through the lead-up to our invasion, in all of the rhetoric and the lies and the fabricated evidence, he told us: he was planning to go to war in Iraq.

A few members of Congress saw the evidence for what it was and resisted. Some heard what he said and, either through naivete or political cowardice, hoped he wouldn't follow through. Some were duped and supported the war. (And some, of course, still do.)

Now the warnings are coming again. We're gearing up for a conflict with Iran. The administration is giving us plenty of warning, stationing warships in the Persian Gulf, ramping up the rhetoric, and arresting Iranians in Iraq (some of whom had been invited there by officials of the Iraqi government that we're supporting).

Again there is talk about weapons of mass destruction. And, we are told, the Iranians are meddling in Iraq, providing the weapons that are killing our troops. Administration officials say they have proof, but they're dragging their heels about showing it.

And, University of Michigan history professor Juan Cole writes on Salon.com, the administration --- in a move that mimics the lead-up to the Iraq war --- is getting "intelligence" and advice from Iranian exiles who have their own reasons for encouraging US action against Iran.

The charge that Iran is helping kill our troops in Iraq could be seductive. Here, the Bush administration seems to be counting on Americans' ignorance of Iraq. But by now we should know the basics. The Iraqi government is controlled by Shiites. The Iraqis who are fighting the Iraqi government and American troops are Sunnis. The Sunnis hate Iranians. Iran is allied with Iraqi Shiites, not the Sunnis.

On CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight on Thursday night, Middle East expert Fawaz Gerges was beside himself with frustration over the administration's deceit. "One point must be made very clear," Gerges said. "The Sunni-led insurgency is responsible for the deaths of almost 99 percent of American and coalition forces in Iraq. And the Sunni-led insurgency is as opposed to Iran and the Shias as it is opposed to basically the American military presence."

Baruch College history professor Ervand Abrahamian agreed. "I think actually, so far, ironically, that Iran and the United States have been on parallel paths."

It "could be possible" that Iranians are supporting the Sunni insurgents, he said. "But it's very unlikely. I would say it's in the realm of absurdity."

Much of the Middle Eastern Arab world is dominated by Sunnis, Fawaz Gerges noted. And, he said, "a majority of Sunnis believe that the United States and Iran are basically allied together against the Sunni."

Juan Cole's Salon.com commentary adds another unpleasant complexity: Most of the Sunnis' outside help "comes from the Sunni Arab public in countries allied with the United States, notably Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies."

"Washington has yet to denounce Saudi aid to the Sunni insurgents who are killing US troops," wrote Cole.

Just as with Iraq, Bush administration officials have crafted their plans for Iran, and rhetoric and fear-mongering are an important part of the lead-up to their attack. Journalist Seymour Hersh and others have been warning for more than a year that the Bush administration plans to attack Iran. On Lou Dobbs' program on Thursday night, retired Brigadier General David Grange said he believes the administration has decided that it must stop Iran's nuclear program through military means. "I believe it's going to be inevitable," he said.

And Agence France Presse reported last week that former UN Ambassador John Bolton told the French newspaper Le Monde that the time for negotiations has passed. "We have to recognize it: negotiations have failed," AFP quoted Bolton as saying. "The only response is to isolate [the Iranians] internationally as well as politically and economically. In the long term, in the I hope not very long term, the only real solution is regime change."

Le Monde, according to Agence France Presse, asked Bolton whether regime change is now US policy. "No," he said. "Regime change is not part of their working framework."

It would be nice to be able to trust that statement (or not feel compelled to parse it). But everything the administration is doing right now disputes it.

Only Congress can put a stop to this. It's time for area senators and representatives to hear from you: Senators Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer and Representatives James Walsh, Randy Kuhl, Tom Reynolds, and Louise Slaughter. (You may also want to view an online video called "Peace Train," now circulating on the internet, to see some of the people we're preparing to attack.)