This really doesn’t come as a surprise anymore.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Vice President Dick Cheney said on Thursday that Iran was at the top of the administration’s list of world trouble spots and expressed concern that Israel “might well decide to act first” to eliminate any nuclear threat from Tehran.

Israel might act first? I’d rather bet in conjunction, whether we acknowledge it or not.

“If, in fact, the Israelis became convinced the Iranians had significant nuclear capability, given the fact that Iran has a stated policy that their objective is the destruction of Israel, the Israelis might well decide to act first, and let the rest of the world worry about cleaning up the diplomatic mess afterwards,” Cheney said.

Israel set a precedent for such action in 1981 when it sent warplanes to destroy Iraq’s French-built Osiraq reactor, seen as the key to President Saddam Hussein’s nuclear ambitions.

Again, I will refrain from patting myself on the back.