Election Season Wild Card: Covert Operations Against Iran, Al-Qaeda

Nearly three decades after the Iran hostage crisis, confrontation with Iran may again make November’s presidential election susceptible to an “October surprise.” Amid reports that US Special Forces are already operating in Iran, the specter of an escalating conflict with Tehran looms over the presidential campaign. Meanwhile, reports that the US military may begin covert operations in Pakistan raise the possibility of a similar crisis in that country. With the election four months away, both John McCain and Barack Obama are hostages to fortune – and the military whims of presidents Bush and Ahmadinejad. – YaleGlobal