Cosa Nostradamus

This is one of those posts where I make predictions for the sole reason that I want to be able later to say, "I TOLD you so!"

1. By January 1, 2007, Iran and Iraq will have a mutual defense pact, if they're not already completely politically unified. (We'll refer to this later as the "Anschluss of the Mullahs" prediction.)
2. By January 1, 2007, the EU countries will either disinvite us from NATO or drop their own NATO membership because the OSCE has become sufficient to their needs and more influential elsewhere in the world with the decline of American diplomacy. (Let's label this one the "Ideological Idiots of Irrelevancy" prediction.)
3. By July 1 of this year, having sold the country on the idea of tax-free stock funds,* George Bush will be softening the electorate up for what he really wants: a national sales tax and flat income tax. (The "Revenge of the Cato Nerds" prediction.)

Justifications will follow Real Soon Now, in the event I just happen to feel inspired to write them.

* What? You didn't know that was the purpose of this whole Social Security piratization proposal?