Replies

"Self-defense is moral and unambiguous;
pre-emption isn't."

True, but only in a perfect world (speaking of Potemkin, wasn't that the whole point?). In the real world you can't be at peace with someone who has sworn to destroy you. It's only on TV where the good guy waits until someone takes a swing at him; in real life if someone says they are going to kick your @ss that's provocation enough, you don't wait until they take a swing, you just take their word for it that they mean what they say.

Besides, we aren't being pre-emptive. Last I remembered they are the ones who launched a pre-emptive strike on the Twin Towers.