"If Jimmy carter had sack when they took our embassy guys we wouldnt be in Iraq today IMHO"
There is a lot to be said about that, and I wonder just how different the situation might be today, if there had been a serious military response. It seems to me, this is the debate about this new hostage crisis. What SHOULD be done, what is IMPORTANT to do, and what are the consequences of RESPONDING or NOT RESPONDING in a certain way.
no question if jimmy carter had turned the us air force loose on Iran immeadiately that they took the embassy and continued bombing until the embassy guys were either released , or god forbid, executed we would not be in iraq and al qaeda would not have attacked NYC.
why? because that first act of us cowardice and weakness, by carter, set the pattern for everything to folow: BEIRUT, MOGADISHU, Bush 1 not getting it done in Iraq the first time, bill clinton fanning on osama bin laden, etc etc etc.
History is clear. the choice is not war or peace. the choice is:
small war now, or big war later masquerading as peace now.
now we got the big war. thanks Jimmy Carter.