Iran has made it clear that no amount of diplomacy will stop it from enriching uranium.
But that's odd. Iran has all the energy from oil that it could ever need (125.8 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, roughly 10% of the world's total). Why does Iran want to enrich uranium?
One reason, and one reason only: to build nuclear weapons.
The leader of the United Nations' "nuclear watchdog" agency admits that Iran is only months away from having nuclear bombs. AEA chairman Muhammad ElBaradei has confirmed that, "If Teheran indeed resumes its uranium enrichment in other plants, as threatened, it will take it only several months to produce a bomb." Iran has decided to build a second reactor, has approved a bill to block international inspections of its atomic facilities, and has arranged to buy missiles from Russia.
This is the same Iran that has chanted "Death to America" in its legislature more than once, including the session in which it decided to resume uranium enrichment. This is the same Iran whose president has said just this week that the state of Israel should be "moved" to Germany or Austria. (CNN) The same president of Iran said in October that Israel is a "disgraceful blot" that should be "wiped off the map."
The question is, what do you think we should do about Iran's impending development of the atomic bomb?
What should America do?
What should Israel do?
What should other nations of the world do?
Anything?
Nothing?
It's not a hypothetical question. It's not an idle question.
As they say, speak now or forever hold your peace.
I believe that, conflict-weary and war-weary as America is -- as Israel is -- as the international community is -- action must be taken. Now, or very soon.
This is not a case in which a nation is arming itself with no apparent intention to harm its neighbors.
Iran has stated its intentions. Its intentions are "Death to America" and for Israel to be "wiped off the map."
Iran's leaders chanted "Death to America" in its parliament in the same legislative session in which Iran approved the plans to proceed with uranium enrichment.
Does that concern you?
Iran is not just a cowboy with a gun in his holster, peacefully minding his own business.
This is a cowboy loading his gun while stating that he intends to kill you. And your friend. And this cowboy is waving off everyone else in the saloon telling him to stop.
Now maybe it's all just for fun, a little terror at your expense just for amusement, but are you going to stand idle and wait to find out?
Remember the hypothethical question you used to wonder about in late night chats with your friends? -- what if nuclear weapons ever get into the hands of madmen?
Ahem.
"Still, if you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed, if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not so costly, you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance for survival. There may be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no chance of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves." (Winston Churchill)
But blessed are the peacemakers. If you see another way -- a sensible way, that is, built on more than hopes or wishes or regrets -- then lead the way. But quickly.
We have perhaps two months. The days race by, and time is short.
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More commentary: Chris Christner's Blog ("This is ominous: Israel readies for strike on nuclear Iran"); Booker Rising ("Moral Equivalence Rides Again"); Thinking Right ("And He Wants Nukes?")
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