And the US should not be seeking to "dissuade" Israel from attacking Iran. It should be a very clear NO. They take aid from us, not the other way around.
Am I missing something here? If Iran were to finally become nuclear, Israel is target #1, whether directly or by one of Iran's terrorist clients getting it. Israel hardly needs - or should be required to ask - the approval of the U.S. to address the problem.
Furthermore, it should be obvious to anyone who isn't in denial that Iran is hellbent on becoming nuclear. When it will happen is debatable but it will happen sooner or later. And then the stability of the entire region is compromised. Regime change may ultimately be what is needed. And one shouldn't be too quick to try and draw parallels between Iraq under Saddam Hussein and Iran under Ali Khamenei as some sort of argument against a possible war.
Some elements in Israel or the US have been claiming for the past twenty years that Iran is a year or two away from going nuclear. These people should not be listened to since they are war hawks and far too eager to use war as the first instrument of American foreign policy. These are the same neo-cons that started the PNAC and are now in the Foreign Policy Initiative.
The latest report is
anything but definitive and at the very least the fact that the drums for war are being beaten by the same people who lied us into Iraq should give reasonable people pause. Fool me once and all that.
Israel is a client state of the US. Before it embarks on a journey that could see oil prices triple and more war break out in the Mid East and have deleterious political and economic effects worldwide, yes it should check with what the boss wants. If it finds this onerous it is quite free to reject US aid and assistance. It should be pointed out that Israel has nuclear weapons of its own-at least 200-300 warheads by most accounts and is completely capable of taking care of itself.
Deterrence worked with the Soviet Union and the US. The US and China have burgeoning trade relations despite the fact that each side has nuclear weapons aimed at each other's cities. Although the hate is massive India and Pakistan have not attacked each other with nukes. I am unwilling to send American troops to die and to kill Iranian civilians so some fat cat in a Washington think tank can feel like a tough guy.
