Two Years Ago Today on GINA COBB: "Evil" Israel "Cannot Continue and One Day Will Vanish" Says Iran's President

Originally published on May 11, 2006: "Evil" Israel "Cannot Continue and One Day Will Vanish" Says Iran's President

Just in case anyone does not yet clearly understand how badly distorted is the lens through which Iran's current leadership views the world, Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has once again spelled it out:  Iran eagerly looks forward to the day when "evil" Israel will vanish from the face of the earth.

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Iran's president on Thursday called Israel's government a "regime based on evil," but also said he was ready to negotiate with the United States and other countries over his country's nuclear program.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has previously said Israel should be wiped off the map, also told a cheering crowd of students in Indonesia's capital that the Jewish state "cannot continue and one day will vanish."

Funny, but Ahmadinejad can't seem to work up even a fraction as much loathing for the Palestinian terrorists who, as their primary strategy, deliberately plan and carry out mass murder attacks against groups of innocent, noncombatant civilian men, women and children.

So I guess we have to conclude that Ahmadinejad has no problem with the deliberate slaughter of innocent non-combatant civilians -- as long as the victims are Jews.  Of course, Iran also has no problem with threatening "Death to America" -- it's a popular chant in Iran.

Do we all agree that now is the time to require Iran to halt its nuclear enrichment, or are we going to just keep saying "pretty please" to Iran's "no" until Iran's first nuclear detonation occurs, at which point we will shrug our shoulders and hope that Iran's nuclear strikes will not be in our direction?

Try diplomacy first, a few of you say.

Hel-LO!  What do you think the U.N. and the European Union have tried for over three fruitless years (not counting the 18 years when Iran successfully hid its secret nuclear program), while Iran's nuclear program has nonetheless rapidly advanced?  What do you think the U.S. and its State Department have tried all these same fruitless years, while Iran's nuclear program has rapidly advanced?

All the combined diplomatic powers of the United Nations and have produced absolutely zip in terms of stopping Iran's rapidly-advancing nuclear program.

For those of you who still urge that we keep trying diplomacy with Iran, I have a question:

How will you know that diplomacy has failed?

Would it be a clue that diplomacy has failed when nothing any nation on earth has done in an effort to halt Iran's nuclear program for three years has worked? 

Would it be a clue that diplomacy has failed when the nation you're plying your diplomatic skills on is thumbing its nose at the United Nations? 

Would it be a clue that diplomacy has failed when every week there's news of another advance in Iran's nuclear program? 

Would it be a clue that diplomacy has failed when almost every day there's further chatter from Iran's president about the annihilation of Israel, the evils of the United States, or the evils of Western democracy? 

Would any of that be a clue that diplomacy has failed, or does somebody have to hit you over the head with at two-by-four?

I hope the two-by-four isn't necessary, because the next sign you'll get that all the world's diplomacy has failed will be the mushroom cloud.

Oh, but some other American president could handle Iran better, a few will say.

Sadly, you are dreaming.

It's a nice dream, isn't it?  I'm almost reluctant to wake you up.  But I must.

WAKE UP.

Who are the most suave, most diplomatically skilled presidents America has had in recent memory?

Bill Clinton?  The "master persuader"?

Right.  And on his watch, with all the combined diplomatic skills of himself and his administration at work, Iran secretly worked on its nuclear program, and Osama Bin Laden and other Islamic terrorists raged and planned and carried out the first World Trade Center bombing, several embassy bombings, and the attack on the U.S.S. Cole.  Not only that, but they began planning and preparing their master stroke that they hoped would deal a lethal blow to America -- the September 11th attack.

And that was with the great "persauder" in command.

Let's think of other greats in the field of diplomacy.  Ah -- who better than that great man of peace -- and Nobel Peace Prize winner in fact -- Jimmy Carter?

Who stood by helplessly while Iran kidnapped and held Americans hostage for 444 days.

Gee, you'd think he could have accomplished something diplomatically before he was finally voted out of of office by the American people.

Could it be that diplomacy will only take a nation so far in this big, sometimes incredibly cruel, world?

Could it be that any nation, even a good, great decent nation like America, or another good, decent nation like Israel -- can have enemies in this world not because it is evil, but for no real reason at all other than envy?  Or beause it potentially stands in the way of even greater evil that those other nations intend to do?

If you believe that there is such at thing as an unjust war, then you must also believe that nations sometimes unreasonably hate and aggress against other nations. 

And if you believe that, then why is it so difficult to realize that the current leadership in Iran is consumed with irrational hatred, and is rapidly arming itself to bring its hatred to fruition?

Remember, America is not chanting "Death to Iran."  The "death" chants are coming from only one direction.  America is not openly urging the annihilation of any other nation -- but Iran is.

Diplomacy is a nice word, but not a magical one.

You can talk yourself to death.  Literally.

_________________

Update 5/11/06:  The Yahoo! News report linked above has since been changed slightly to quote Iran's president as stating that Israel is "a tyrannical regime that will one day will be destroyed."

Just in case anyone does not yet clearly understand how badly distorted is the lens through which Iran's current leadership views the world, Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has once again spelled it out:  Iran eagerly looks forward to the day when "evil" Israel will vanish from the face of the earth.

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Iran's president on Thursday called Israel's government a "regime based on evil," but also said he was ready to negotiate with the United States and other countries over his country's nuclear program.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has previously said Israel should be wiped off the map, also told a cheering crowd of students in Indonesia's capital that the Jewish state "cannot continue and one day will vanish."

Funny, but Ahmadinejad can't seem to work up even a fraction as much loathing for the Palestinian terrorists who, as their primary strategy, deliberately plan and carry out mass murder attacks against groups of innocent, noncombatant civilian men, women and children.

So I guess we have to conclude that Ahmadinejad has no problem with the deliberate slaughter of innocent non-combatant civilians -- as long as the victims are Jews.  Of course, Iran also has no problem with threatening "Death to America" -- it's a popular chant in Iran.

Do we all agree that now is the time to require Iran to halt its nuclear enrichment, or are we going to just keep saying "pretty please" to Iran's "no" until Iran's first nuclear detonation occurs, at which point we will shrug our shoulders and hope that Iran's nuclear strikes will not be in our direction?

Try diplomacy first, a few of you say.

Hel-LO!  What do you think the U.N. and the European Union have tried for over three fruitless years (not counting the 18 years when Iran successfully hid its secret nuclear program), while Iran's nuclear program has nonetheless rapidly advanced?  What do you think the U.S. and its State Department have tried all these same fruitless years, while Iran's nuclear program has rapidly advanced?

All the combined diplomatic powers of the United Nations and have produced absolutely zip in terms of stopping Iran's rapidly-advancing nuclear program.

For those of you who still urge that we keep trying diplomacy with Iran, I have a question:

How will you know that diplomacy has failed?

Would it be a clue that diplomacy has failed when nothing any nation on earth has done in an effort to halt Iran's nuclear program for three years has worked? 

Would it be a clue that diplomacy has failed when the nation you're plying your diplomatic skills on is thumbing its nose at the United Nations? 

Would it be a clue that diplomacy has failed when every week there's news of another advance in Iran's nuclear program? 

Would it be a clue that diplomacy has failed when almost every day there's further chatter from Iran's president about the annihilation of Israel, the evils of the United States, or the evils of Western democracy? 

Would any of that be a clue that diplomacy has failed, or does somebody have to hit you over the head with at two-by-four?

I hope the two-by-four isn't necessary, because the next sign you'll get that all the world's diplomacy has failed will be the mushroom cloud.

Oh, but some other American president could handle Iran better, a few will say.

Sadly, you are dreaming.

It's a nice dream, isn't it?  I'm almost reluctant to wake you up.  But I must.

WAKE UP.

Who are the most suave, most diplomatically skilled presidents America has had in recent memory?

Bill Clinton?  The "master persuader"?

Right.  And on his watch, with all the combined diplomatic skills of himself and his administration at work, Iran secretly worked on its nuclear program, and Osama Bin Laden and other Islamic terrorists raged and planned and carried out the first World Trade Center bombing, several embassy bombings, and the attack on the U.S.S. Cole.  Not only that, but they began planning and preparing their master stroke that they hoped would deal a lethal blow to America -- the September 11th attack.

And that was with the great "persauder" in command.

Let's think of other greats in the field of diplomacy.  Ah -- who better than that great man of peace -- and Nobel Peace Prize winner in fact -- Jimmy Carter?

Who stood by helplessly while Iran kidnapped and held Americans hostage for 444 days.

Gee, you'd think he could have accomplished something diplomatically before he was finally voted out of of office by the American people.

Could it be that diplomacy will only take a nation so far in this big, sometimes incredibly cruel, world?

Could it be that any nation, even a good, great decent nation like America, or another good, decent nation like Israel -- can have enemies in this world not because it is evil, but for no real reason at all other than envy?  Or beause it potentially stands in the way of even greater evil that those other nations intend to do?

If you believe that there is such at thing as an unjust war, then you must also believe that nations sometimes unreasonably hate and aggress against other nations. 

And if you believe that, then why is it so difficult to realize that the current leadership in Iran is consumed with irrational hatred, and is rapidly arming itself to bring its hatred to fruition?

Remember, America is not chanting "Death to Iran."  The "death" chants are coming from only one direction.  America is not openly urging the annihilation of any other nation -- but Iran is.

Diplomacy is a nice word, but not a magical one.

You can talk yourself to death.  Literally.

_________________

Update 5/11/06:  The Yahoo! News report linked above has since been changed slightly to quote Iran's president as stating that Israel is "a tyrannical regime that will one day will be destroyed."