Sorry, I don't know why the body of my post refused to get posted on the Iran thread below:
Hi Doug,
***In all this chaos - which will take years to settle - the United States needs to stick to its principles. Neither immediate military intervention nor dialogue with Iran is the answer. Instead, we must just keep up the pressure on the trash-talking Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is far weaker than he lets on***
The only problem with this is that Iran's leadership is moving ahead with nuclear weapons. They didn't build neafly nucler explosion proof bunkers for any other reason.
I am not so sure that recent criticsims of Ahmadenjad was that procuring nuclear weapons is crazy but only that telegraphing their intent to the world along with pubically announcing his supreme desire to destroy the Jews of Israel is crazy. the wiseer policy would have been to quietly go about your intentions.
I still see absolutely no option other than the military one. Once Iran's leadership gets the nucs the game is completely changed and even more dangerous in my arm chair, middle class opinion. Exactly why do any of these people think waiting till Iran has the military capability to cause a second holocaust (3 nucs will suffice - as Gingrich points out - look at the map of Israel and one can easily see this) is *less* dangerous than taking action before to prevent precisely this?
Yes I know we risk losing Pakistan, and Sunni Arab countries but we are talking existential threat to Israel. I still think Israel will either have to go it alone or before Hillary replaces Bush. Once the Dems win the Whitehouse forget about it. It will be Jimmy Carter all over again - unless it is a Dem like Joe Leiberman - one of the bravest most decent politicians I can think of. I would vote for him in heartbeat if he ran.
They have already secured anitaircraft missles from Russia who along with China are probably delighted at our being bogged down with the radical Muslims. I wonder what was behind the Israelis' letting it go public that they are conducting practice military exercises with Jet pilots to bomb Iran's nuc facilities with the idea they could soften the bunkers with one kiloton nuclear devices before unleashing a second wave of conventioinal bombs. Was it simply a leak of secret info. by a political dissident or bribes official.
Was this release of information supposed to be some sort of threat that it means business. Or was it really a measure designed to camoflouge the real military options such as the use of cruise missles, not jets. I can't believe the Israeli military would be that stupid to telegraph their means.
