Iranian is developing a nuclear device and trying to undermine our currency. Are we going to wait until the ‘magic mushroom’ appears before we act??
I definitely hope not. I seriously hope that the two carriers we just took into the gulf to perform unannounced maneuvers aren't there just for show, because it should be obvious to everyone that Iran is not going to give up their nuclear program just because Europe asked nicely.
However, if the president orders an attack against Iran in opposition to congress and against public opinion he would likely face Congress cutting off funds for the operation before the military has a change to do more than a couple waves of bombing, which aren't likely to set Iran back very much. Iran has taken the time and spent the money this time to make sure their nuclear program is well protected in bunkers and distributed across a large number of sites.
Bush miscalculated in how quickly the media would be able to turn the public against him after 9/11. He thought he would have the support to do what needed to be done, and there was every indication that he did have that support.
Even thous thing are not going well in Iraq, and the loss of ever life is tragic, our losses have been minor, yet the public no longer supports the efforts in Iraq. The public has been worn down by the media amazingly quickly and has already tired of fighting.
Obviously the country can't be run by public opinion controls, otherwise our government is effectively being run by the media.
However, our government is also not a monarchy, and the lack of support from Congress is something that should give any President pause. The President is the Commander in Chief, but he does not have absolute control over the military. It is Congress that is supposed to declare war, and it is Congress that controls the purse strings. This is intentional. It is not in the interests of our Republic to put absolute control over an army as powerful as our in the hands of one man.
So I guess I am instead hoping that our media wakes up and quits trying to take us down a suicidal path, and that Bush chooses the right opportunity and goes before a closed session of Congress to demand support for strikes against Iran's nuclear program, including ground operations if necessary.
I suggest a closed session of Congress because a large portion of our representatives, and not all of the Democrats, have consistently put the politics before the good of our nation, and as much as I would like to see them forced to publicly vote for or against such strikes, I think we are much more likely to get the needed votes if they are held in secret. Going after Iran's nuclear capability is simply more important than the political benefits of forcing such a vote in the open.