Posted on 04/23/2008 8:01:49 AM PDT by seanmerc
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I certainly wouldn't trust Hillary, and I wouldn't support a formal commitment, but this is precisely what we should be telling Iran, and our oil producing allies in the region. An attack the heart of America's economic strength is an attack, and will be responded to.
Not long ago the Dems were suggesting that we consider taking action against Saudi Arabia because 19 of 21 hijackers were Saudi nationals. Now they’re suggesting we use our nuclear deterrent to protect them? Which is it?
Reminds me of that dialog in “Animal House”: Hey, they can’t do that to our Pledges! Yeah, only we can do that to our Pledges! Government by National Lampoon.
Am I missing something? Why are we promising to protect anyone in the Middle East? IT’s a cauldron always ready to blow. Our nukes are for when we get attacked.
As I understand it, Israel has enough nukes to annihilate Iran many times over...Let them deal with things in their neighborhood.
All we need to do is deploy 2 or 3 THAAD batteries to the middle east. Maybe 2 in Saudi and one in Qatar or even Northern Iraq. We also have, I believe, nearly round-the-clock coverage in the Persian Gulf of Aegis equipped DDGs and CGs. Upgrade them to the ballistic missile defense role, load a couple dozen SM-3s on them...problem solved. Throw in a few Patriot PAC-3 batteries around population centers for point defense. All those ballistic missiles and warheads are now functionally useless, a drain of resources for no gain.
Think of it, if (when) the nut-job in Iran finally flips over the edge, either attacks his Islamic brethren directly, or attacks Israel it'll be the same net effect. Israel will not sit lightly and let even radioactive debris fall on its territory. It will strike back at Islam, Mecca and Medina.
The Saudis know this. So the last thing they want is the whack-job in Iran trying to take over Islam, become a "leader" by "showing Israel who's boss" when it is really Saudi cities that are at risk. (in addition to Iranian) Saudi, and most of the other Gulf States, just want to do business and be left alone. They are serious about not wanting to pollute/dilute their culture, fine by me. I may not agree with their cultural norms, but I wouldn't presume to tell them how to live, just as I don't want them telling me how to live.
The biggest threat to the more moderate Gulf States isn't the west and our culture, it is radical Islam. Radical Islam threatens not just their lives and foreign policy (as it does ours), it is also a threat to their governments, their culture, their religion - basically everything it means to be Saudi, Jordanian, Qatari, etc. The misguided fools on the fringes of Islam threaten the middle east far more than they threaten us. If I was the Saudis, I'd be very, very wary of my neighbor across the Gulf...
Of course, you'd never hear Hillary advocate this approach. The liberal line is that ballistic missile defense doesn't work, that it is simply an expensive boondoggle of the Bush administration. BS. It works just fine, and is getting better all the time. As long as no-one pulls the funding rug out from underneath it, it will continue to stay ahead of the threats posed by the unstable regimes in North Korea, Iran, and others.
Anything via political rhetoric to achieve personal gain and live in the White House again.
The Clinton dogma with life...
Hey Slick Willie could fire those cruise missiles like July 4th fireworks.
I’m sure Hillary will know where the “arm” button is.
Via "feel good" politics, it is very potent when catering to the weak minded voter's who just want to feel good.
But she will say ABSOLUTELY A*N*Y*T*H*I*N*G to get crowned. She’d promise us, each-and-everyone, a palace and slaves to rob the power.
If Iran nukes ANY middle east country..including Israel...The United States of America will do what it did in Vietnam and what it will do in Iraq...it will run away and let the people it promised to defend on its own...in other words the States will do ZERO (0) !
I wonder if America would even retaliate with nukes if one of its city's were hit by nuclear weapon???
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