How about a legit nuke stockpile? I mean for real, not speculation or nightmares or whatever. I don't mean maybe their making it, they could but for real they wipe their ass with the NPT and publicly trump their regime security trump card by marching warheads down Tehran boulevard. Not to be cynical, but remember Iraq? All that hot air, used by a dictatorship as a deterrent against invasion.
I mean Cuba 1962, when the folks at the Pentagon looked at those photos and SHIT THEIR PANTS. That's what I want. That's when war is acceptable. In one possible scenario. I won't play your game of destructive simplicity.
What next, we strike Beijing because they could potentially invade Tawain next year? Strike Moscow because they could potentially molest Georgia again? Invade Egypt because they could go religiously insane? Hell if we're going on that logic train, let's attack Pakistan because they have nukes and they clearly don't like us. (You know, a REAL stockpile of nukes.)
There's something to be said about letting the bad guys DO SOMETHING and then go N.W.A. on their asses. Usually they won't "do something" because of our overwhelming military deterence. But when they do, BAM! That's the point.
Better question, why aren't most Israelis (if that poll is accurate and not a fluke) apparently not having a boner for this potential war? Let me guess, you'll dismiss them as naive cowards too? Will you paint them as waving a peace paper in the air just after an airflight? Can you explain that?
(OK I'll play your game sorta. Remove the nuclear issue all together, if Iran tried to legit close the Strait of Hormuz...that would be absolutely unacceptable. We would send a badass Navy fleet down their throat to piss on their bullshit blockade. If they do fire first, give'em hell. And Lead.)
We're agreed on the Strait of Hormuz. But it seems you're asking for an almost impossible level of proof before doing anything to Iran. What if their style isn't to parade missiles in front of everybody but slip a nuclear weapon to one of their terrorist clients? And when it comes to letting them "do something," it doesn't take a lot if that "something" is nuclear. It's not a game of destructive simplicity. I just want to make sure I'm talking to people who would, at least theoretically, be willing to go the military route. And that includes not narrowing the goal posts so much as to make military action virtually impossible because you're of the belief that Israel or the U.S. wants it to come to that. Because, if it does, it will be Iran who pushes it to that point.
