Yglesias on CPD

Matthew Yglesias has an article about the Committee on the Present Danger in the American Prospect, "Present Dangers", in which identifies its formation not as a resurgence of neocon support but rather as a desperate measure to regain its rapidly declining power. He writes that although the CPD seems to favour war with Iran, such an enterprise is unlikely:

Is another war around the corner? Probably not. The CPD's formation is more a sign of weakness than strength. The troubled occupation of Iraq has decreased the credibility and influence of the neoconservative faction in the Pentagon, and Robert Blackwill, who was brought in to pull the president’s chestnuts out of the fire and take over Iraq policy from his desk at the National Security Council (NSC), is known to favor engagement with Iran.

Yglesias also notes that although the CPD has an impressive line-up, there are a few prominent omissions that indicate a divide within the neocon movement:

What's more, the CPD wasn't even able to round up all the usual suspects to join its group. Key figures like Weekly Standard Editor Bill Kristol and Project for a New American Century Executive Director Gary Schmitt pointedly failed to sign on. This is just the latest in a growing list of indications of a split within the movement between the Kristol’s circle and another centered at the AEI. When the administration broke with neocon favorite Ahmad Chalabi, the latter group broke with the administration, sided with Chalabi, and began bitterly griping about Paul Bremer and the growing influence of the State Department and the NSC staff. The Standard, meanwhile, stayed silent on the Chalabi question and has published a series of fawning Bremer profiles by Executive Editor Fred Barnes.