Iran and Israel

This is a powder keg that needs to be defused.

The Iranians are probably more rational than the Israelis if for no other reason that they don’t have to worry about fair elections. The Israelis clearly are not going to allow the Iranians to develop an atomic bomb.

As long as special forces operations continue to prevent that from happening, I don’t think we’ll see more than talk. Then again, all governments have hawks and Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, doesn’t strike me as the sharpest tool in the shed.

Netanyahu has managed to strain US-Israeli relations by calling for the international community to set “a clear red line” for the Iranians on their nuclear program. A call that the US and everyone else pretty much ignored.

That ticked off Netanyahu who said that the US has no “moral right” to prevent Israel from launching a military strike against Iran.

Perhaps not, but we do have a damned big stick.

The opposition party in Israel is making political points over all this. The opposition leader, Shaul Mofaz, chided Netanyahu from the floor of the Israeli parliament by asking “Please explain to us: who is Israel’s greatest enemy — the US or Iran? Who do you fear more — Ahmadinejad or Obama?”

Mofaz also accused Netanyahu of using scare tactics and frightening the Israeli people for no good reason over the Iran issue while saying that “Wars should only be waged when there is no choice.”

Netanyahu certainly has the Republican, Right Wing strategy of keep ‘em scared down pat. Sounds like Mofaz isn’t buying it though.

So what do I think you ask? I think the US should sit on Israel and let them know in no uncertain terms that if they take military action against Iran, they’re on their own.

The Iranians are years away from creating an atomic bomb and the current regime isn’t crazy enough to use it even if they did have one. If that changes, I reserve the right to reevaluate but I don’t think that’s going to happen any time soon.