The Obama administration has already thought two steps past the Iran talks. After it’s done pasting together a deal that will delay the Iran nuclear program 10-15 years, it plans on tackling the Syrian civil war and trying to convince Bashar al-Assad to step down — peace in our time. A senior official in the Obama administration told The Wall Street Journal, “It’s something I’d expect to see more pickup on as the Iran talks conclude. There’s a growing sense that momentum has turned against Assad and that is feeding a belief that there could be more opening on the political track.” So Obama would be willing to meddle with Syrian politics, but feels perfectly content to merely debate the Islamic State. This comes as the White House is secretly conspiring with liberal anti-war groups to pressure congressional Democrats to support the Iran deal as it zips through Congress. Obama knows he has to pull strings to get this bill past congressional scrutiny. Iran is already cheating, which is worrying The Washington Post editorial board, an entity that’s not exactly known for its conservatism. While peace in Syria would be welcome, the peace would be nullified in the context of an established Obama/Iran nuke treaty. Assad — an Iran ally if not puppet — would be gone, but there’s the Iranian empire in all its atomic glory.