But Olmert did take out the Syrian nuclear project. And it’s very hard to understand why he would essentially capitulate to Hamas and Hezbollah, unless he’s maneuvering to strike Iran. As any number of astute commentators have pointed out, these deals have strengthened Israel’s enemies and made war more likely — to which I’d say that if Israel has already determined that war is necessary anyway, then it’s of no particular moment that the capitulations would merely take you to a place you’re going to end up anyway; the question is whether they gain you some tactical advantage in pursuit of that end. (We can quibble about whether they do, but that’s beside the present point, which is whether Olmert might reasonably think they do, perhaps by clearing the ground for massive retaliation should Hamas or Hezbollah react to an Israeli strike against Iran.)

Of course, it’s also quite possible that Olmert is simply feckless, and has given away strategic assets to genocidal enemies only because he doesn’t know what else to do. That possibility ought to seem as unimaginable as a first strike against Iran, but unfortunately it isn’t. Michael Ledeen may easily be correct.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-schaeffer/why-this-fifty-five-year_b_105061.html

Given that my initial response to your post was removed, due to passionate words I used for your response, like Iranian newspapers in Iran, I had to go back to SELF-CENSORSHIP and do my best to remove words that will pass through this blog. I want you to know it was hard, but I did manage it.

John R:

For the last 7+ years, we’ve been injected with similar comments like yours coming from places like Fox news. As soon as someone goes against your opinion, you label them. This is EXACTLY what they do to people inside Iran, when they oppose the government that they are American agents. So your comment is no different. All around the world, there are people like you who empower dictatorship and allow them to grow and stay in power. I just want you to know, you have many twin brothers in Iran doing very much the same thing, but given the high inflation rate, their salary is in 10 figures!!! LOL…

Your comments is very much the same TALKING POINTS you’ve been fed and you
keep feeding it to people like me.

If dollar is sinking: blame 9/11
If you see the world in a wacky way: blame 9/11, as you said it clearly
If subprime shafted millions of people: hey! Blame Bin Laden
If this administration has FAILED for almost 8 years: Blame 9/11

Now for the rest, just fill in the blank,

If…..…… blame 9/11
If…..………… blame 9/11
If……………………………………….…… blame 9/11
If……………… blame 9/11
If…………………………………………………………..… blame 9/11

And last but not least:

If……… and if……… got so ………… then blame Bin Laden and 9/11, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and 100+ other U.N members. So John R: Get busy and start filling all these blanks. I do not ask you to connect the dots, since people like you FAILED to connect dots as large as 7-story buildings!!!

The point of my post was that the atrocity on 9/11 has enraged millions of ordinary citizens of this country including and especially me. The fact that Alireza neglects notice or mention of this is revealing. I should like to remind him that we would not even be exchanging posts on this or any other website were it not for that monsterous event. As wonderful a writer and thinker Mr. Ledeen is, most of us wouldn’t even know his name.

The rest of Alizera’s post is psychotic. At this point the only interest I have in him is whether the immigration officials have let someone slip in this country who probably shouldn’t be here. Oh, and one last thing, he seems frightened of the military responses of our fine military. That at least gives me some comfort that our fine men and women of the armed services are doing their jobs. What did Alireza expect our military to elicit if not boot shaking fear?

Although Bush never explained it, Iraq was always a strategic move. Just look at a map. It sits next to both Syria, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, where all the evil and oil emanate. With it’s own oil resources, a somewhat more free economy, and a somewhat educated, somewhat securalized populace, Iran can also be a stabilizing influence in the region. And now, finally, terrorists are being defeated and the government is beginning to function with minimal competence. The Iraqi Army is already arguably the finest in the Islamic world, too. Those are all chips on the table.

In spite of these self-evident truths, the brilliant Obama plans to draw down US forces and risk chaos, not leave them there to threaten Iran. He’ll actually sit down with Iran and prove his cowardice and weakness by begging for peace.

Meanwhile, because of his massive tax increases and new government bureaucracies, our economy will go into a severe recession, making us all the weaker.

Now, there is no other option left; as waiting for an intrnal revolution to suddenly happen and topple the regime all running on air is utterly futile. It has been just that for 29 years, too.

Indeed, it seems that the pacifist Iranians living in Iran need a jolt themselves to stop and think about rising up, instead of tacitly turning away from doing anything against the regime in their frightened, financially-centered, and self-serving world.
In the minds of the Iranian bourgeoisie, financial shananigans allowed by the regime and ill-gotten monetary gains overrule the desire for freedom and democracy. That, combined with quick persecution and elimination of any secular opposition by the regime, are exactly what has kept it intact for 29 years.

And the US is not only not doing anything to break this viscous cycle of acceptance and persecution, but it has in fact emboldened the regime by its disasterous and misguided Iran policy at the hands of novice and delusional state department “deal makers” as well as the esteemed EU foreign policy setters who most all have a soft spot in their hearts for their Ayatollahs

Pitiful is a nation that needs Condi Rice and EU to save it!

ML:

Well, right on! The issue is, what is the best offense? And as you know there’s a big disagreement between those, like me, who think that democratic revolution is the best strategy, and those who want to attack militarily…there are, to be sure, those who seek to combine the two (mostly Iranians who send things to me by email or by snail mail). I think the proper starting point is a) we must bring down the regime, and b) it can be done with mostly or even exclusively political methods.

The Ayatollahs started a war with us when they violated our embassy, a crime under real international law, not the fake stuff used to make a club to beat on the US or Israel. The Iranians have been shouting “Death to the Great SAtan” for decades. They have been attacking us with terrorism. They mean to destroy us. You and the other Iranians should give careful thought to what happened to Japan and Germany in WWII. Push us hard enough and our patience will end, and the Iranians will be very unhappy about that. So far we have been remarkably restrained in fighting people who violate all the established international laws of war. Don’t count on that lasting forever.

If you don’t like Ahmedinejad and are so worried about people being killed, get yourself back to Iran and overthrow the Ayatollahs and put in some halfway decent, consensual government, before the Pharaohs of Tehran provoke a massive war, as seems to be their intention. Otherwise you are leaving it to McCain to clean up the mess the Iranian people caused when they put these swine into power with the Iranian Revolution, and have no standing to complain about the reasonable, lawful means used for that purpose.