The best line in X-Men: The Last Stand is uttered by Sir Ian McKellen, as Magneto."They wish to cure us," he thunders,"but I say, we are the cure." Many people around the world have wanted to cure the Bush administration of its belief in armed force as a legitimate instrument of policy. But if Iran spurns Condi's carrots and sticks, then the old, pre-mutant Bush will indeed be the only cure.

Niall Ferguson