We are by no means a paper tiger or powerless
However, there are three main reasons why military action will not be taken against the Islamic Republic of Iran:
1) It will implode on its own in the near future. Military action will only unite them again. Better yet to let the middle class and students do it themselves.
2) We do not need a confrontation with the Ruskies now. The bear is now warming his frozen paws in the Persian Gulf.
3) Oil and Petrodollars.
This being said, the Israeli/US air option is on the table. This will, I fear, set us back with #1 above
Sorry, I didn't mean to say that we were powerless or a paper tiger, rather that Iran has that notion of us because we have let them attack us and our interests for over three decades now and they've never paid a price for it. You and I know that Iran could be a sea of shinning glass anytime we decide it should be that way. We understand that restraint is the better part of valor. To the Iranians though our approach is seen as a weakness.
Words cannot explain how proud I am of our strength in a dangerous world and I apologize if I seemed I was calling us 'names'.
I agree Iran is an acutely self-limiting problem, but I'm tired of waiting. It's like the picture of the buzzards sitting in a tree and one of the saying, "patience hell, let's kill something."
I don't buy this. The mullahs are very much in control there. Look at the ease with which they got their guy (Ahmadinejad) elected. Forget the students. I was one of them in Eastern Europe in 1989. It's BS. There have to be forces far more powerful than a bunch of ragtag students for the regime to fold.
Perhaps as powerful as a couple of carrier battle groups. ;-)