perfidy

Ladies: I think I'm gonna stay out of the political debate until I think of something smart to say. Should be a while.

Buckethead, as for your post on Iran, I'd say there's a heck of a lot disturbing about the very idea of libervading Iran. I totally agree that, should the time come to pass, we should not rely on mercenaries and former enemies to wage a proxy war on our behalf. I think I'm on safe ground in asserting that it's never a good idea. But I would go one step farther and ask why it's necessary to head into Iran to begin with. By your own lights, all signs suggest that it's not a stable state to begin with. Why not give the situation some time to marinate and see if the mullahs' power crumbles all on its own? It would be much, much easier, cheaper, and dignified to be able to sweep into Iran because a popular revolution started rolling on its own. (And hey, if that happened, maybe for once we won't be decried as the A-holes of the world! (Yeah... right.))

Your (admittedly rhetorical) argument that we're in the neighborhood anyway is lightweight--about the same as my wanting to finish the last two beers in the twelve-pack because they look so lonely in there without their friends. Goodwife Two-Cents always pulls me back from that brink, and with good cause. Convenience is not an excuse for a hangover, much less a war. And although I totally agree with you about the perfidy of the mullahs and the USAity of some of the Iranian population, that doesn't sell me on a war either. And payback? Are we Bruce Willis? (Or Mel Gibson, but that was one crappy movie so I'm disqualifying him.)

We should not be too quick to jump into another conflict until it's proven that we are in fact ably committed to helping Iraq rebuild, until the same can be said for Afghanistan, until the Palestinian 'situation' (as you say) is resolved, until diplomacy has had time to work, until the waiting game is doing more harm than good (to Americans and Iranians alike), and until it's proven that our armed forces, economy, and national creed can handle it. That, and I still oppose such hijinks on principle anyway.

Or, we could just (as you say) nuke 'em.