Sorry to have been off the net for so long, but I've been focused on switching seats in the airplane I fly. I now have a window and can see out the front. This is good.
I've been watching the fur fly in some many areas (Iran's effort to build its own Nuclear Party Favors to pop over the heads of those pesky Jews (among others), Ted Kennedy sonorous dronings-on about the inherent evil of the President's latest SCOTUS nominee, Joel Stein bearing his MoveOn.org soul, etc., etc.) that it's hard to know where to begin. Moreover, it's somewhat intimidating to come up with something unique, much less, er, profound, on these goings-on. So, lowering my sights to just musing about stuff in general, here's my take...
Nuclear Ayatollahs:
I'm not privy to the Administration's plan to carry out their somewhat veiled threat to prevent Iran from joining the nuclear club, but so far I'm not confident we have the political will or international support to destroy that regime's ability to build a viable nuclear weapons stockpile directly. It would, however, be interesting to overtly (and often) declare our national support to the Iranian Resistance...and back it up with aggressive and sustained support.
Granted, this would be a radical departure from past US behavior, i.e., supporting those who would fight for their freedom, rather than leaving them to the tender mercies of their tyrants, ala, Poppa Bush and the Scowcroft crowd.
But if we could just have the balls to say, "OK, people, you have a choice. Throw the bums out or they are going to put you in a position of watching your minarets melt. This ain't personal, but we think you can understand how we will respond if Ahmadinejad has his way. This is not something we will have to ponder. In fact, our leaders probably won't be given that luxury. Indeed, if a dirty bomb is detonated in a Western country or, worse yet, an actual nuclear detonation occurs, our own citizenry's demands for retribution, swift, terrible retribution, cannot and will not be ignored.
Nuclear products are traceable. The mullahs' fingerprints will be all over the event, making any excuse not to respond to Teheran utterly moot. That said, wasting your collective arses for something we daresay the majority of you probably detest and understandably fear, would be terribly unfair and unjust.
So, stand by for money, guns, cheerleading and muscle. The latter we will happily provide if you need sanctuary. The Iraqis like the idea of a non-threatening border and don't mind us hammering the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' nuts to cream if they so much as look at us funny within an inch of the border. Meanwhile, we think the Europeans are coming around. Really. Stop laughing. Anyway, we're gonna put the squeeze on these guys from a number of fronts--political, economic, informational, and in other ways. But the hard work will be up to you.
Besides, if you fix it, you own the victory. You, no one else, will determine your future. It will cost you dearly in blood but the reward is, well, a future."
Ted on "Alioto" (his pronunciation):
"Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for this interruption. Senator Specter has called for a 15-minute recess so they we may execute this warrant. Senator Kennedy, you are under arrest for the murder of one Mary Jo Kopechne. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney present now and during any future questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you free of charge if you wish. Gentlemen, again, we apologize for the disturbance. Senator Leahy, you may contact Senator Kennedy through the District federal prosecutor's office. Mr. Kennedy will probably be released on bond--we doubt his own recognizance is prudent--within the hour."
Joel Stein: A Rove plant if there ever was one. Heh.
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