Free Republic

Louisville, KY — The term “politically correct,” is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary thus: “Of, relating to, or supporting broad social, political, and educational change, especially to redress historical injustices in matters such as race, class, gender, and sexual orientation.” Add to that litany of “historical injustices” the title of my New York Times bestseller: “American Heroes in the Fight Against Radical Islam.”In recent weeks, the vocabulary police opened a new front in the War on Terror by issuing a list of “do’s” and “don’ts” for terrorism terminology. In an effort to fight a “kinder, gentler” war on Islamic...

Fort Benning, GA – Here at the U.S. Army’s biggest base on the east coast, soldiers and their dependents are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their "economic stimulus payments." It’s a good thing because, like most of us, these American heroes are going to need the extra money just to purchase their next tank of gas. This week, the IRS begins mailing rebate checks to budget crunching taxpayers. Bush Administration officials hope the checks will be used for a citizen shopping spree to resuscitate the U.S. economy. But instead of getting that new patio grill, consumers are more likely to...

Washington, D.C. — Fresno, CA – In the U.S. military there is a wonderful little expression: “A good plan never survives the first contact with the enemy.” The corollary to this rule is “Expect the unexpected.” Then of course, there is the expanded version of the Boy Scout motto: “Be Prepared – For Anything.” This week has served to remind me how apt these quaint little expressions really are.My plan for this week was very simple: conduct a series of quiet interviews for print and broadcast media and a few low-key appearances in preparation for the release of my new...

"The number you have called cannot be connected."Ever heard a recording like this on your telephone? On Sept. 11, 2001 messages like that were commonplace in New York and Washington and incredibly frustrating for first responders trying to coordinate rescue operations and families attempting to contact loved ones. Now think about that kind of message being heard by virtually every cell phone subscriber in an entire country. That may be about to happen in Iraq. If it does, it could well derail progress made in recent months and have long-term adverse consequences for U.S. interests in the region. In December...

"Your strength can compensate for my weakness, and your wisdom can help to minimize my mistakes." -- Jimmy Carter, inaugural address, Jan. 20, 1977 WASHINGTON -- More than 31 years after he uttered those words, America still is trying to compensate for and minimize Jimmy Carter's mistakes and weaknesses, the greatest of which appears to be hubris. This week, our much-traveled 39th president ventured as a "private citizen" to the Middle East on a self-described mission "exploring possibilities for peace." Regrettably, what citizen Carter has succeeded in doing is encouraging our nation's adversaries, lending credibility to terrorists who have killed...

Five years ago this week, American soldiers and Marines liberated Baghdad from Saddam Hussein’s Republican Guards and the foreign "fedayeen" who had flooded into the despot’s capital. For those of us who were there, it was an unforgettable event. But, as Ambassador Ryan Crocker so cogently noted this week while he and General David Petraeus were testifying before Congress, "the euphoria of that moment evaporated long ago." The assembled lawmakers, perched on their raised daises, barely noted the anniversary, while subjecting the warrior and the diplomat to a 16-hour-long spectacle. For the general and the ambassador, it had to be...

WASHINGTON -- In the midst of last week's meaningless Arab League summit in Damascus, Syria, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki boldly launched his government's first major offensive against renegade Shiite militias. Ranging from Baghdad's suburbs south to Basra -- the country's oil port and second-most populous city -- Saulat al-Fursan (Charge of the Knights) is the largest and most complex operation undertaken by the Iraqi military since 2003. The effectiveness of Iraq's soldiers, police and special operations forces in this bloody fight will be an important factor for Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker during Tuesday's congressional appearances. As...

MIAMI -- I made a major mistake in a hotel room this week. Not the Eliot Spitzer kind of mistake -- but with a television remote. While changing for a late dinner, I tried to tune in to Fox News Channel, but the electronic device took me instead to MTV and some kind of "reality show." For a few minutes as I dressed, I was treated to several attractive young American women discussing their relationships. The most oft repeated sound in this conversation was "Duh!" -- a word that does not appear in my dictionary. But now I know what...

Washington, D.C. – Five years ago this week 170,000 American and coalition soldiers, sailors, airmen, Guardsmen and Marines launched Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). When they commenced their attack they were outnumbered nearly three to one by Saddam Hussein's military, yet it took U.S. troops just three weeks to liberate Baghdad. No military force in history has ever gone further, faster or with fewer casualties.Despite a lightning-fast victory over the dictator's Army, Republican Guards and Fedayeen, the challenge of leaving Iraq better than we found it proved to be daunting and dangerous. Unfortunately, few Americans know what their countrymen in uniform...

The Smithsonian Institution, beleaguered by questions over how much it pays its executives and how they spend the organization's money, said Saturday it has picked Georgia Tech President G. Wayne Clough as its new leader. Clough will become the 12th secretary of the world's largest museum and research complex on July 1, assuming control of an institution that has been in turmoil in the past year. Clough will usher in a new era, "bringing a unique combination of academic achievement, talent, leadership skills and experience in public service, science, management and development," Smithsonian board Chairman Roger Sant said in a...

AIKEN, S.C. -- The salacious details of New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's hypocritical, extramarital love life have captivated the media all week. Had the Empire State's chief executive picked a different day to get caught with his pants down and quit his job, some other prominent resignations might have received more coverage. Apparently, there just aren't enough journalists to stake out the Spitzer's Manhattan apartment, track down his hookers and cover these other premature exits. Tales of the tainted governor took up so much ink and airtime that the potentates of the press didn't even notice the sex scandal that...

WASHINGTON -- These are tough times for terrorists and the despots who back them. On Jan. 28, Abu Laith al-Libi, No. 3 in al-Qaida, was killed by a missile strike in Pakistan. Two weeks later, Lebanon's Hezbollah terror chieftain, Imad Mughniyah, met his demise in Damascus, Syria, when his car exploded. Then March 1, Raul Reyes, second-ranking commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), was killed in Ecuador. Three days later, Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, the al-Qaida "mastermind" of the 1998 attacks on our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, was killed by a missile strike in Somalia. Despite...

WASHINGTON -- In 1988, singer and songwriter Bobby McFerrin penned a Grammy-winning tune, "Don't Worry, Be Happy." When it comes to collecting intelligence on America's enemies, McFerrin's pleasant a cappella song is now the theme song for Democrats in the House of Representatives. On Feb. 14, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi decided to send the members of the House home on vacation instead of having them vote on extending the Protect America Act, a measure that already had passed in the U.S. Senate 68-29. The bill, among other things, provides civil immunity for private companies that assist U.S. intelligence agencies in...

Saying John McCain is the only candidate that wants to win the war on terror retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North has endorsed the Republican front runner. Col. North, a man who has been to Iraq more times than any politician, warned of the serve consequences of a loss in this battle with those who want to murder Americans. As an American, a Marine and a most knowledgeable observer, North has stepped forward to support the safety of America. He recognizes the danger we are in and the best course of action to win out over terrorists. He is a...

Washington, D.C. — Fidel Castro is finally on his way out. After nearly 50 years of bloody, iron-fisted rule, the world’s longest reigning dictator — and one of the last communist tyrants on the planet — has announced that he is stepping down. That’s good news, but it’s not likely to change much for the 11 million captive people in Cuba. On February 19, Granma, the Cuban Communist Party’s organ, carried a letter purportedly written by the 81-year-old ailing autocrat, announcing that ill health prevents him from continuing to “discharge the duties” of president and commander-in-chief of Cuba's armed forces....

"The Second Amendment’s Day in Court" by Oliver North 02/15/2008. When the Washington, D.C. City Council enacted the toughest gun-control law in the nation in 1976, the city fathers -- according to what they said at the time -- believed they were making our nation’s capital a safer place. The measure failed miserably. Since passage, the murder rate in the District has skyrocketed by more than 200 percent. Now, the U.S. Supreme Court has a chance to both make our capital safer -- and ensure that the Second Amendment to our Constitution is enshrined as an individual right for...

Friday, February 15, 2008 WASHINGTON -- When the Council of the District of Columbia enacted the toughest gun control law in the nation in 1976, the city fathers -- according to what they said at the time -- believed they were making our nation's capital a safer place. The measure failed miserably. Since passage, the murder rate in the District has skyrocketed by more than 200 percent. Now, the U.S. Supreme Court has a chance both to make our capital safer and to ensure that the Second Amendment to our Constitution is enshrined as an individual right for every law-abiding...

Just four hours after former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's pragmatic decision to suspend his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, Sen. John McCain stood before the annual Conservative Political Action Conference and asked the assembled activists to support his bid for the White House. The "maverick" acknowledged differences he has had over the years with many in the room, offered a spirited defense of his 24-year record in Congress, and made an eloquent, self-effacing appeal for conservatives to unite in the "urgent necessity of defending the values, virtues and security of free people against those who despise all that is...

McCain Camp Touts Ollie North Endorsement Updated 2:47 p.m. By Juliet Eilperin and Rena Kirsch One of the key figures in the Iran-Contra scandal is now endorsing Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), but is McCain endorsing him back? This morning the McCain campaign helpfully circulated a column Oliver North had penned in The Washington Times, extolling the senator's virtues, under the heading "In Case You Missed It: Oliver North on John McCain." The e-mail made a point of pulling out the key laudatory quote and placing it in bold, making it even easier for reporters to read: "Neither John McCain, nor...

Just four hours after former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's pragmatic decision to suspend his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, Sen. John McCain stood before the annual Conservative Political Action Conference and asked the assembled activists to support his bid for the White House. The "maverick" acknowledged differences he has had over the years with many in the room, offered a spirited defense of his 24-year record in Congress, and made an eloquent, self-effacing appeal for conservatives to unite in the "urgent necessity of defending the values, virtues and security of free people against those who despise all that is...

Friday, February 8, 2008 WASHINGTON -- When it sailed from Simon's Bay near Cape Town, South Africa, on Feb. 25, 1852, under the command of Capt. Robert Salmond, the British paddle wheel frigate HMS Birkenhead was loaded with more than 640 men, women and children. Mostly, however, the passengers were British soldiers, their horses and ammunition. Their destination was Algoa Bay, South Africa, as reinforcements for Sir Harry Smith in the eighth campaign of the Kaffir War. Several hours after sailing, the Birkenhead struck a rock at Danger Point in the dead of night and was instantly in distress. While...

Friday, February 1, 2008 WASHINGTON -- In the movie "The Wizard of Oz," Dorothy's little terrier, Toto, pulls aside a curtain to reveal that the awesome wizard is really a little man frantically pulling levers to create an illusion of power. Moscow is not quite the Emerald City, but Vladimir Putin certainly is acting like the wizard, and he seems intent on trying to recreate the Iron Curtain. Worse still, leaders here in the United States and in Europe appear to be as fearful as Dorothy's craven lion in looking at what really is going on behind the curtain. In...

Friday, January 25, 2008 WASHINGTON -- Traveling salespeople always have a hard job. That's especially true when the economy isn't exactly booming -- and the product you are selling will go off the market in a year. That kind of describes Secretary of State Condi Rice as she tries to pitch American foreign policy to domestic and international "customers" in the last 12 months of the Bush administration. That's not to say she isn't trying, but it's proving to be a tough sell. January started with Ms. Rice trying to convince "moderate Arab regimes" that Iran is a major threat;...

The president has left his party in a precarious state. But the GOP candidates running in the wake of his wreckage can learn much from his failures. We are all stars in the movies that play in our minds: not true-life stories, exactly, but life as we imagine it could or should be. Little imperfections are conveniently forgotten or smoothed over, messy relationships downplayed or deep-sixed. The future beckons brightly, even if the past was dark or dreary. This need to believe in an idealized self is especially strong in politicians. They must get up every day and sell a...

Friday, January 18, 2008 WAUKESHA, Wis. -- Here in "Cheesehead" country, where Green Bay Packers fans go to Lambeau Field with snow shovels, military recruiting never has been much of a problem -- until now. "These are outdoors, patriotic people," a military recruiter told me as I prepared to speak at a Boy Scouts function here. "Young people up here are tough. They hunt, they ice fish, they go to football games in an open stadium in the middle of a blizzard. This used to be a great place to be a recruiter, but not anymore," he continued. "What's happened?"...

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- In early January, this oceanfront resort community is usually a pretty quiet place. This year, however, nothing is usual. This week, hotel rooms are packed, and the lobbies are crowded with presidential candidates, their campaign aides, political activists and more than 700 members of the international press corps. They are all here to participate in a series of debates and the upcoming first-in-the-South primary election. I also have discovered that among the media are a number of aliens from a parallel universe where nothing seems as it is. This morning, as I stepped off the elevator,...

Friday, January 4, 2008 WASHINGTON -- The frozen water pipe this morning was a rude awakening. I managed to thaw the pipe without bursting it, thus saving the cost of a plumber. However, a few hours later, I opened our bill for home heating oil. At $2.70 per gallon, it was a blunt reminder that, with petroleum at $100 a barrel, the future cost of keeping fuel in our furnace -- and gasoline in our cars -- will make the plumber's price pale in comparison. According to the "experts," those of us who drive to work will be paying $4...

Unassuming Oliver North called 'truly a class act' By Matt Sanchez Editor's note: Reporter Matt Sanchez, currently embedding with military units throughout both Iraq and Afghanistan, has been providing WND readers with a glimpse into the war on terror most Americans have never seen. Oliver North I first remember seeing Col. Oliver North raising his hand and giving testimony in front of Congress. As a kid, I didn't understand much about the televised and highly publicized Iran Contra Affair hearings, all I saw was a man in uniform raising his hand and answering questions. But so much of communication has...

While I was in Fallujah, Iraq, embedded with a U.S. Special Operations Command Task Force, Time Magazine gave Russian President — and soon to be Prime Minister (and long to be ruler) — Vladimir Putin, the magazine’s politically correct moniker of “Person of the Year.” Time’s brilliant editors reasoned that Mr. Putin deserves the title because he has “brought Russia roaring back to the table of world power.” There is no doubt that Mr. Putin has made a significant impact in Mother Russia. Given the record prices for petroleum and natural gas — which Russia has in abundance — it...

Friday, December 21, 2007 BAQOUBA, Iraq -- It is nearly Christmas, and most of the young Americans with whom we have spent this month are going to miss the holiday with their families. For many, it is their third Nativity season away from home since Operation Iraqi Freedom began in 2003. Though you may not have noticed it beneath your tree, the troops here have sent you a gift that is far more valuable than a new hand tool or iPod. It's a present that they made by hand with extraordinary care so that you can use it every day...

(Third in a series) Hillah, Iraq -- The slogan “de oppresso liber” is Latin for “free the oppressed.” It's the motto of the U.S. Special Forces, but it has also been adopted by several of the Iraqi military and police units our FOX News War Stories team has been covering here in the land between the rivers. These Special Operations troops -- Americans and their Iraqi counterparts -- have become the tip of the spear in the war against radical Islamic terror. U.S. military forces have started phasing down from the “surge” that began last summer. The 3rd Brigade, 1st...

HILLAH, Iraq -- The slogan "de oppresso liber" is Latin for "free the oppressed." It's the motto of the U.S. Special Forces, but it also has been adopted by several of the Iraqi military and police units our FOX News "War Stories" team has been covering here in the land between the rivers. These special operations troops -- Americans and their Iraqi counterparts -- have become the tip of the spear in the war against radical Islamic terror. U.S. military forces have started phasing down from the "surge" that began last summer. The 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, whose departure...

FOB Kalsu, Iraq -- Those who believe that the campaign in Iraq is a lost cause better not tell that to the soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division -- they think they’re winning. That’s not just their Commanding General, Rick Lynch talking -- that’s the word from every soldier we have listened to for the week we have been with them. These troops ought to know -- many of them are here on their third, year-long tour of duty in Iraq. Those we have been interviewing for an upcoming special edition of War Stories were part of the initial attack...

Friday, December 7, 2007 ISKANDARIYAH, Iraq -- Those who believe that the campaign in Iraq is a lost cause better not tell that to the soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division; they think they're winning. That's not just their commanding general, Rick Lynch, talking; that's the word from every soldier we have listened to for the week we have been with them. These troops ought to know. Many of them are here on their third yearlong tour of duty in Iraq. Those we have been interviewing for an upcoming special edition of "War Stories" were part of the initial attack...

Friday, November 30, 2007 As my FOX News team left the United States for our ninth embedment with U.S. combat troops in Iraq, the headlines were all about the resurrected "Mideast peace process." European papers touted the conference in Annapolis, Md., as a "long overdue breakthrough" because Syria attended. Buried deep in all these stories is the observation that Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas all have condemned the conference and its goals. It's doubtful that radical Islamists such as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran, Hezbollah's Sheik Hassan Nasrallah or Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh ever will accept Israel's existence or Western-style secular,...

WASHINGTON -- Now that we are stuffed like turkeys, consider that Thanksgiving is celebrated as an official national holiday in only two countries -- the United States and Canada. In both nations, it is uniquely mandated as a day for offering thanks and praise to God. Interestingly, there is no mention of God or thanksgiving in the U.N. Charter. Nonetheless, United Nations officials apparently take full advantage of the holiday as a respite from the grueling work of international diplomacy. Calls to the secretary-general's office (212-963-7162) on Thursday, Nov. 22, were unanswered. One can only wonder whether the striped pants...

Friday, November 16, 2007 SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- It was a quiet ceremony on Veterans Day at the Reagan Ranch Center of Young America's Foundation. There, the family and friends of William J. Casey gathered for the presentation of an award on his behalf from The Honourable Company of Freedom Fighters. The international organization's charter states it was "founded to recognize and honor individuals and groups which have fought for freedom, participatory government and against fascism, communism, moral relativity and terrorism in all their forms." The citation for William J. Casey, who died in 1987, sums up a remarkable life...

Washington, D.C. — It’s been a tough week for democracy and American diplomacy. In Pakistan, President Purvez Musharraf pulled a coup against himself and U.S. diplomats were apparently stunned. In Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez pulled a coup against his countrymen and U.S. diplomats were once again, well … stunned. The difference in political attention and media coverage accorded these two affairs has been — for lack of a better word — stunning.

Friday, November 9, 2007 WASHINGTON -- It's been a tough week for democracy and American diplomacy. In Pakistan, President Pervez Musharraf pulled a coup against himself, and U.S. diplomats apparently were stunned. In Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez pulled a coup against his countrymen, and U.S. diplomats once again, well were stunned. The difference in political attention and media coverage accorded these two affairs has been -- for lack of a better word -- stunning. Print and broadcast coverage of events nearly half the world away in Pakistan has been ubiquitous since Musharraf declared a "state of emergency" and fired his...

Friday, October 26, 2007 WASHINGTON -- Quick: Name a movie star, a noted celebrity, a great athlete and a radio or TV personality. When I posed these queries to some nice Americans this week, I got answers such as: "Russell Crowe," "Paris Hilton," "Britney Spears," "quarterback Tom Brady," "Curt Schilling of the Red Sox," "Tiger Woods" and "Rush Limbaugh." Now: Can you name a contemporary American hero? Only two of the dozen or so people I challenged came up with, "Navy SEAL Michael Murphy." That says a lot about what our mainstream media thinks is important. Last month, during a...

Friday, October 19, 2007 SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Vladimir Putin is on a roll. Last month, he made it clear that he intends to become prime minister -- and keep the reigns of power in the Kremlin -- when his second presidential term ends in March 2008. Last week, in the midst of a bravura "mini-summit" with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Putin wowed the fawning European media by shrugging off a carefully leaked rumor of an alleged assassination attempt and by speaking fluent German -- a language he mastered as a KGB officer in Dresden during the Cold War. All...

Friday, October 12, 2007 WASHINGTON -- In his 2004 State of the Union Address, President Bush said, "America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our country." Members of both parties and both houses of Congress applauded. But if the Senate votes to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea -- known as the Law of the Sea Treaty -- or its appropriate acronym -- LOST -- he and his successors are going to need lots of permission slips. In 1982, Ronald Reagan, concerned about the treaty's implications for our sovereignty and...

Friday, October 5, 2007 WASHINGTON -- Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform purports to be concerned about transparency and accountability in government contracting. It sounds great, but from all indications, this is just a public relations gimmick to justify going after American companies in the midst of a war. This week, the liberal California congressman took Blackwater USA CEO Erik Prince to task over how the North Carolina-based company has carried out its State Department contracts in Iraq. The day after Prince testified, one of his civilian-piloted helicopters skillfully landed in a Baghdad...

Friday, September 28, 2007 WASHINGTON -- Two weeks after the 2006 elections put Democrats in charge of Congress, Time magazine depicted Rep. Henry Waxman, now the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, as "The Scariest Guy in Washington." In the column by Karen Tumulty, the ultraliberal Beverly Hills Democrat is portrayed as "tenacious," and Tumulty says there is "no one tougher." Quoting from the left-wing magazine The Nation, she calls the Napoleonic Waxman the "Eliot Ness of the Democrats" and describes those who work for him as "one of the most highly regarded staffs on Capitol...

Friday, September 21, 2007 WASHINGTON -- In 1982, Robin Williams and Glenn Close starred in a quirky R-rated movie entitled "The World According to Garp." The offbeat comedy -- honest, that's what Tinseltown critics called it -- was loosely based on John Irving's dark novel with the same title. Those who missed the humor in the book and film now have a chance for some real belly laughs. Next week the Big Apple will host another gut buster -- "The World According to UNGA." If it were a flick, it would be a dark and depressing documentary combining the conspiratorial...

During a telephone conversation three days before Gen. Petraeus sat down next to Ambassador Ryan Crocker in the Caucus Room of the Cannon House Office building, my friend, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) told me that Democrats were conducting a “guerrilla campaign of character assassination” to impugn the general and that it would culminate with “a frontal attack” on his integrity. Congressman Hunter posited that based on my personal experience in a similar atmosphere, I would understand. But not even I could gauge how low the Democrats had sunk or how vicious they have become...... What happened this week to Gen....

Friday, September 14, 2007 WASHINGTON -- Any objective observer who watched or read this weeks House and Senate testimony of Gen. David Petraeus received an informative assessment of the battlefield situation in Mesopotamia. Our top military commander in Iraq proffered a cool, level-headed report on successes and failures to date, gave a survey of the challenges ahead and provided rational recommendations for the future. By contrast, Americas Democrats gave the world a revealing look at the depths they are willing to plumb in their insatiable quest for raw political power. In what transpired before and during these hearings, Democrats made...

Friday, September 7, 2007 WASHINGTON -- The commander in chief's surprise Labor Day visit to Iraq has buoyed our troops, reassured an anxious ally and confounded America's adversaries in radical Islam. Whether the president's on-site evaluation will change the political dynamic in Washington or alter the behavior of Iraq's neighbors remains to be seen. For several months now, this column has urged President Bush to put Iraq on his travel itinerary. This week's six-hour visit to the front -- his third since U.S. troops entered Mesopotamia in March 2003 -- is particularly important to the upcoming congressional debate on the...

French Leader Addresses Iran's Nuclear Program, While Democrats Remain Passive September 01, 2007 Fox News Oliver North If September goes as August ended, this is going to be a very interesting month. On Monday, President Bush told the American Legion in Reno, Nev. that two dangerous strands of Islamic extremism are converging in Iraq, “supported and embodied by the regime that sits in Tehran.” He went on to warn that the Iranians “must halt these actions.” Earlier that same day, French President Nicolas Sarkozy observed that Iran’s nuclear ambitions present “catastrophic” alternatives: “an Iranian bomb or the bombing of Iran.”...

Friday, August 31, 2007 LONDON -- If September goes as August ended, this is going to be a very interesting month. On Monday, President George W. Bush told the American Legion in Reno, Nev., that two dangerous strands of Islamic extremism are converging in Iraq, "supported and embodied by the regime that sits in Tehran." He went on to warn that the Iranians "must halt these actions." Earlier that same day, French President Nicolas Sarkozy observed that Iran's nuclear ambitions present "catastrophic" alternatives: "an Iranian bomb or the bombing of Iran." Both Bush and Sarkozy are correct -- though it...