The other Iranian time bomb

I'm going to get the last word here, and say again, for the umpteempth time that any true Zionist (defined as someone who really cares for real Israelis and their safety) should oppose the Israeli Right/Likud.

Attacking Iran and pursuing increased settlements on the West Bank would - will - both have catastrophic consequences for Israel.

Not to mention for the United States, since we are seen throughout the Muslim World as being linked to the hip with Israel (2 billion + in aid every year folks, plus all sorts of diplomatic and other support - far and away our largest foreign beneficent, doubly so when you consider the 2 billion or so that we shovel Egypt's way to maintain Mubarak's corrupt regime, and so Camp David, which is more or less entirely to benefit Israel.

"Free Iran" - Dude, if you look at the map and see Iran's position from their point of view, you see two large U.S./NATO Armies on either side (Iraq & Afghanistan), American fleets in the Persian (or as the Arabs have "Arab") Gulf to the South, a more or less unfriendly Sunni regime in Pakistan, instability in the Caucuses and Central Asia to the North, haunted by both nuclear armed Russia and China not all that far away, a strong pro- Western/Israeli allied Turkey to the west..

I think the Iranians have a lot to be afraid of. Mostly, they're afraid of us. And our Israeli client state.

And they should be. All this talk is not a game. There's nothing the likes of Rumsfeld, Cheney, King Abdullah, and Netanyahu would like, than to bomb them, even start a ground war with them.

The Iranians remember what happened in 1980. Just as much as we remember what happened in 1979.

Everyone remembers violence done them, and tends to forget the violence done the other guy.

But if you really want to understand "your enemy" and either defeat him, or else make peace with him without violence, you need to remember history, and try (I say, please just try, Rod) looking at it from their point of view.

I used to be a Leon Uris "Exodus" Zionist, just like you, Rod.

Then I went and learned Arabic, lived in Turkey, lived in Egypt, traveled throughout the Middle East, met a lot of Arabs, a lot of Turks, some Israelis, a few Persians, Christians, Jews and Muslims, and realized..

That we are being fed a whole heaping load of propaganda.

The Iranians are rational actors. They will never attack Israel with an nuclear weapon. Neither will Pakistan (who already have the bomb, and are just as crazy as the Iranians, only you will never hear ablout it, because they are our "allies.."

But whatever. "Your Name's" probably right, Rod. You shouldn't get bellicose without understanding what you're talking about. Your support of the Iraq boondoggle has empowered your new bete noire in Iran.. It's a Shiite triumph, when we ultimately leave..

You get that right?

Bruce G wrote: "Iran has threatened to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth. Israel has threatened to blow up a facility. Disproportionate reaction?"

I take it, then, you're fluent in Farsi? Or, like most of us, do you simply take at face value whatever someone says Ahmadinejad says? I have heard quite a different interpretation of what Ahmadinejad said and prefer not to spill more American blood and waste more American treasure on a war based upon what someone said someone else said.