Senator John McCain of Arizona recently criticized the President about not leveling with the American people about how tough the Iraq war was going to be.

He had no less scorn for Vice President Cheneys remark last year that our adversaries were in their death throes.

What Mr. McCain and many Democrats dont appreciate is the Iraq war is a cake walk compared to what could be on the horizon.

Imagine this scenario.

Syria refuses to stop supplying Hezbollah in Lebanon; a very real possibility, considering Israel just detected a truckload of missiles and rearmaments heading from the Syrian border the other day.

Israel attacks Damascus and Syrian military targets. More missiles rain on Israel, this time targeting Tel Aviv.

Iran openly engages. The United States responds with attacks on Teheran.

Simultaneously, Muslims around the world join the fray, escalating attacks in India, Pakistan and in Europe.

Friendly regimes in the Middle East are under pressure. The Saudi royal family is on the verge of abdicating. Egypt and Jordan try to straddle, in an effort to buy time.

The United States quickly reinstitutes the military draft, risking widespread protests.

The United Nations is helpless. Its pleas for peace are ignored and its troops, increasingly, are under fire.

World War III is officially underway.

This could happen, not in five or ten years, but in a matter of weeks.

If Senator McCain wants plain talk and realism, start here. Vietnam, which was by no means pretty or without horror, especially for the Senator and other POWs, was a conflict where the World War I song still applied: Over There.

Unfortunately, the escalation that is on the horizon might be better called, Over Here, or in the words of the Beatles tune, Here, There & Everywhere.