Posted on 01/06/2006 11:20:30 PM PST by West Coast Conservative
The massive stroke that cut down Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon late Wednesday night not only throws Israeli politics into turmoil. It marks the likely starting point of the coming nuclear showdown that will pit the Jewish state and the Free World against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Vice President Dick Cheney noted the inevitable nearly one year ago. He told talk radio host Don Imus just minutes before the inauguration on Jan. 20, 2005, that "the Israelis might well decide to act first" should they conclude Iran had acquired "significant nuclear capability."
Much has happened since. In February 2005, the U.S. announced it would sell 500 conventional "bunker busting" bombs to Israel, that could be used to take out buried nuclear and missile sites in Iran. But as reality sank in about what an effective military strike against 60 to 70 Iranian sites would require, Prime Minister Sharon -- a long-time battlefield general -- had second thoughts.
Unilateral Israeli action, without provocation from Iran, could unleash a diplomatic, economic and military backlash such as the Jewish state had never witnessed since 1948, Mr. Sharon argued. After meeting with President Bush at his Texas ranch last April, Mr. Sharon made a strategic decision -- against the advice of his own generals and intelligence staff -- to place his bets on U.S.-backed nuclear negotiations with Iran led by the European Union.
Almost no one really believed those negotiations would succeed. The Europeans expressed mounting exasperation as Tehran broke its promises repeatedly, closing nuclear sites to inspectors and resuming banned nuclear processing.
Faced with the impatience of his own military, Mr. Sharon's reasoning was simple. Every other option was worse.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
At least with the Cold War you could have a MAD status because even the Soviet warmongers were afraid of dying or having their cities and families obliterated. With the Islamofascists they are afraid of no such thing. Heck, as for their families, many of them would or even HAVE slit their own wives' or children's throats themselves. What do they care? They're insane.
<< ...we're no better than Neville Chamberlain. >>
Perhaps not.
Unless you're looking at his approach to safeguarding our nation's sovereign borders.
Or to his having criminalized normal business practices.
Or having presided over the most profligate congress there has ever been.
Or to have caved to McCain on "torture."
Or to the lunatic left on FEMA's squandering ways.
Or to "china" on its attack on our Orion.
Or having given up on partially privatizing social "security."
Or to his having rescinded our Constitution'a First Amendment.
Stuff like that.
And then there's the fact Chamberlain was a Limey.
Whose only fault was that his actions too closely represented the demands of his cravenly cowering appeasement-in-their-mothers' milk - and running away at-every Dunkirk, Singapore, Suez and/or Hong Kong-like opportunity - British electorate.
Not what I said, we don't need his help as he's already given us the tools... As I witness on a daily basis here at Balad Air Base, Iraq....
"...He's given us the tools..."
I agree.
Thank you for the clarification.
THANK YOU for your service to our country.
nor a buggerer like chamberlain.
Compromise is not pretty but it works. Appeasement for Al queda would not. If diplomacy works, it is cheaper so trying it is sensible.
In 1967 Arab armies mobilized and massed on the Israeli border. They broadcast their intention to eradicate the Jewish state weeks earlier. I hope history repeats itself.
IRAN has dropped off into the deep end. It may yet be swallowed up by ignorance.
<< If diplomacy works .... >>
Diplomacy works.
Works, that is, for those petty potentates and other ponces who populate the powdered and perfumed ranks of posturing paltroons who, at obscene cost to their states and nations, ours included and although long ago made totally redundant by the invention of the telex machine, loiter about the globe, living in nineteenth century potentates' palaces and who meet to entertain one another and to smuggle Cuban cigars, coccaine, duty-free Mercedes Benz cars for Kojo Annan - and any and all forms of other contraband.
As for the manifestation of evil that is Al Qaeda?
Or that is islamanzism?
Simple.
Kill every last member, supporter, adherent and facilitator of every terrorist gang, smash their towns, villages and states to smitherenes and use "diplomacy" to afterwards placate the in any case perpetually pissed off French.
For we might just as well drop another 50,000 tons of bombs on Tora Bora's empty caves as bother trying to talk to tyrants and terrorists.
"From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast." - Johua 1:4
Title Deed from The Owner
This might be the opportunity for Israel to strike at Irans nuclear sites and have America, in coordination with Irans resistance take over the country.
This could be a biggy.
I'd hope that something more advanced than B-17's would be employed ...
You forgot your "sarcasm/off" tag.
The protection offered by MAD with the Russians loses it's potency with people who can't wait to die for their cause.
Late winter would be preferable.
What exactly do you mean when you say 'have America, in coordination with Iran's resistance, take over the country'?
Are you implying that Israel exerts some sort of control over the US?
I thought that kind of 'jooo' talk didn't happen here.
O-kay. Let's go over this one more time class.
When someone says "I am going to kill you" especially when he has a history of trying to do so in the past, this is provocation.
Your hitting him first is self defense.
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