One: Bush might not feel he needs Congressional approval to attack Iran, or might not care that he does, especially after the November elections, no matter which way they go. He doesn't have to worry about re-election anymore, and I think he puts his personal legacy over any concerns about the GOP's future. And even if he's afraid of impeachment, bombing Iran would probably not be an impeachable act. Plenty of presidents have used military force without Congressional approval in the past. Or he might just feel he's gonna be impeached anyway, so why worry about one more charge.
Two: I don't have a lot of confidence that Clark's message is getting out. Most of what I'm hearing from real people, in both parties, is as much in line with the "Iran can not be dealt with rationally, and that it is flat out impossible for the United States to ever allow Iran to become nuclear armed, under any conceivable circumstances"; as well as from any Democrat in Congress. Maybe that's because I live in a red state, where even Dems are fairly conservative. But it seems to be what they're being fed through the media, and for the most part, they seem to be swallowing it. They may not have much confidence in Bush's ability to pull it off, but that doesn't mean the public and the Democrats won't support him for trying.
