Don't Go There

--Ollie Johansson, Sweden

It’s naïve for us to think that
we can grow our nuclear stockpiles,
the Russians continue to grow
their nuclear stockpiles,
and our allies grow their nuclear stockpiles,
and that in that environment we’re
going to be able to pressure countries
like Iran and North Korea
not to pursue nuclear weapons themselves
--President Obama

___________

The above quote sounds good, but it doesn't jibe with the words from the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, who said Tuesday a military strike to thwart Iran's nuclear weapons capability remains on the table. Flush with victory in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is easy to see why our leaders might feel it is time to translate those successes into another elective war.

However, Mullen diluted the statement somewhat by saying he would "worry a great deal about the response of a country that gets struck." He said, "It is a really important place to not go, if we can not go there in any way, shape or form (Joint Chiefs Chairman: Strike on Iran Remains Option)." We think the way you do that is to not go there in any way, shape or form.

Though the U.S. has a new F Troop Commander, we are still getting the same old rhetoric about elective attack options on Iran. Obama is a funambulist, who says do as I say, not as I do. But when you are the President, you cannot afford that schism in thought. It is or it isn't.

Facing such a possibility, it is obvious why Iran is so keen on acquiring nuclear weapons. Factor in Joe Biden, who recently gave Israel the green light to bomb Iran, and we must ask: Is it that our leaders lose their grasp on reality after assuming office, or was the deficit always there?

Irresponsible rhetoric like "military options are on the table" are not reality-based. More helpful would be an announcement that we will destroy half of our weapons stockpile. Then the U.S. could operate from a position of moral leadership on the topic. Condemning any nation for wanting nuclear weapons is hypocritical while standing on the world's largest inventory of useless nukes.

What is America about? Why is Iran our unilateral responsibility. Same-same North Korea.