Is Syria Next?

I keep hearing about how Syria should be the next target on our hit list. But I keep coming back to a discomfort with the idea of going to Damascus just yet. This op-ed from the Telegraph attempts to provide a rationale for going into Syria next (it's the best argument I've seen yet), but in my mind it reinforces that Damascus should not be first.

It is pointed out that Syria's closest ally is Iran. Looking at the situation from an uneducated civilian point of view, it would seem that we would want to go to Tehran before heading to Damascus. Why?

If we go into Syria first, we have to constantly watch our rear. Now I'm sure that the Army could hold off the Iranians in a defensive war while we take out Baby Assad. But the Iranians would be able to throw essentially their entire military might against our rear.

If we were to go to Tehran first, however, the Syrians would not be able to throw their entire military into the fight because they have to keep a close eye on Israel.

The geography of Iraq also plays into our going to Tehran first. The distance of Baghdad from the border could be a key consideration. The city is very close to the Iranian border, but there is a vast empty desert to the west- all the way to the Syrian border.

If we have to fight a defensive war where we give up land to buy time before turning on the aggressor, I would rather give up the desert instead of risking the city. Plus as the Syrians come across the open desert they would be playing into our strengths of a mobile, combined arms fight. Our technological advantage over the Syrians would be greatest in the open expanses of western Iraq. We can give up quite a bit of land in the west without endangering our position in Iraq. The same is not true for the east. A lucky breakthrough for the Iranians could get them into Baghdad very quickly. Plus we don't have as much room in which to exploit our technological advantage over the Iranian military.

I'm sure that the guys in the Pentagon have planned for either eventuality and that they will have an excellent plan like that we used in Iraq. The ideal event would be another revolution in Iran. But it any case, it seems to me that the easiest road to Damascus runs via Tehran.