Good post. Really succinct.

I would add that the Mullahs have also been stunned by Putin's threats. They are losing the last real 'Euro' support they have, and there is talk that they want to be perceived as 'civilized' by releasing the prisoners.

So goes school of thought.

The other is darker, more ominous and poses the question, "What was on that Turkish ship that the Iranians wanted so desperately and were willing to risk a confrontation and major international incident?"

Where did that ship come from?

Sig, Carl & Alfred:

Thanks so much.

Yes, the Turkish ship. There has been talk of a an M16 agent—a mole that the Iranains were desperate to lay their hands on. There are several M16 and Israeli moles in Iran right now; the Iranians are trying to make them, and they are scooting out of the region with valuable intel.

Anyway, that's what I've been hearing.

It all comes back to the nuke program which, day by day, is being compromised and please G-d, will soon be dust and ashes.

So when are you going to sign up and fight. I think enough lives have been lost. You seem to be saying that others should fight for what you believe to be right.

Robert, I agree 100%. I don't know who your sources are, but please, continue to update us about this Shadow War. God knows the liberal MSM won't.

We spend hundreds of billions a year to acquire technological superiority in weaponry. We've accomplished our goal - a Military Industrial Complex second to none, with a level of fire-power beyond anything ever recorded in the history of warfare. Personally, as an American, I should be able to sleep well at night, knowing we have this capability. On the other hand, what's the point of such a massive build-up if we never use it against our enemies? And this is what keeps me awake at night - our lack of moral courage, on the part of our leaders, to stand up and say, "Yes, our culture, country, and way of life, is worth defending!"

It's crucial that we prevent Iran from developing weapons of mass destruction - crucial to our survival. Now is as good a time as any to strike, if only to degrade and reduce their nuclear capability. We can do it with air power, with Predator Drones, with missles. But either way - do it. And do it NOW!

Oh, btw...if Israel volunteers for the mission, I would say, "Happy Hunting!"

A. Acaia -- I don't think our Military is big enough. We need to restore the Clinton cuts AND the Bush 1 Cuts to the Military (the Peace Dividend). Our Navy needs to be doubled or perhaps tripled, same for the Air Force and Army. The Marines need to be four times as big as they are the first on the beach or in the urban combat zone.

Nevertheless I'd like to see Iran struck down. It wants to nuke America and Israel, has said so many times, and should be made an example of.

Pakistan is falling into bin Laden's grasp, Musharraf is lucky to have his orders go to the Presidential Palace gate. It is therefore imperative to make things very clear in unmistakable action. Not words. Action.

All that being said, I doubt there is ANY political will to confront Iran. Certainly not in Britain where people are taking IRAN'S side and millions of Muslim voters hold veto over anything stronger than abject begging. And certainly not in the US where Kucinich hopes to impeach Bush for offering the notion that all options were on the table for Iran's nukes. A Democratic Congress countenancing military action against Iran?

If Iran openly nuked the US a large portion of the Democratic Congress would beg Iran to stop and offer to adjudicate issues before the World Court. I don't see any will to stand up to the Peace Movement (itself funded by terror oil sheiks and of course Iran). Sad to say, ANSWER and UFPJ and Code Pink define the Dem Party.

I wish I didn't. But I understand the 1930's now.

Acacia:

I agree that halting Iran's nuclear program is a priority. Oddly enough, almost every country in the region, except for Syria, is also most anxious to see Iran defanged—especially Saudi Arabia. Believe me, they, along with Israel are sick at the thought of a Shia bomb.

We must not lost sight of the Shia/Sunni spat.

It's what makes the world go round for the Islamic loonies.

So: in this volatile mix you can be sure that the double-faced Saudis are flying two or three or who knows how many flags, and cooperating with Western intelligence agencies—even The Jooz—all in a desperate effort to put a chill on the Persian bomb.

The weakest link in all this madness?

Britain.

Blair is out of power in a few weeks. He's got appeasers up the kazoo. And though the British soldier is still among the best, most disciplined of fighting men on the face of the earth, the average British politician is, in the words of a close Australian friend, "a tosser."

It's a real problem for America when her closest allies only speak French.

Jim, Jim, Jim:

I wish you would come out and say what you mean already. Enough of these wishy washy positions :)

A man who wants to put more funding into the Navy and The Marines.

How can we object?

And of course, the key to all this is as you point out: political will. Weapons and gadgetry are all well and good but there must be firm political leadership at the helm, men who are willing to recognize that appeasement has brought nothing but disaster and misery, and the only weapon that works is deterrence.

If there is no deterrence, there is no defense.

The Dems are passionate about so-called Global warming. In this way they can blame man, and self-flagellate till the end of time. Blame eveyone and fight, well, I guess evil ol' Big Business. Let's face it, the Dems are crypto Socialists. Witness their plans for universal health care. Fidel would heartily approve.

But to fight the Islamic enemy at the gates, well, that would involve recognizing the existence of true human evil and that is far too morally stressful for such cultured and intellectually refined creatures.

As Mark Steyn said: "We are living in the 1930's—all over again."

And making the exact same mistakes.

Gosh I miss "The Rockford Files." That was great TV, Jim.

Rockford makes occassional cameo appearances at Libertas, under a different name of course.

Jim says: If Iran openly nuked the US a large portion of the Democratic Congress would beg Iran to stop and offer to adjudicate issues before the World Court.

Jim's been watching too many episodes of "24" :-)

You don't seriously believe that, do you, Jim?

I know that most politicians have about as much spine as a jellyfish, but what about their constituents? Folks watching an American city go up in smoke would be none too happy. Outraged like never before, in fact. And as mad as they'd be, it'd be nothing compared to the Holy Hell they'd unleash in the face of a "do-nothing" congress. A city gets nuked and what?....Congress wants to appease?! My God, they'd be lynched!

Look, the average American may be slow to anger, but a dirty nuke in a major American city? That's a wake-up call. 9/11 a thousand fold. And I think it would spell the end of the muslim world, I really do.

Acacia:

Speaking for myself: 19 Muslims murdered 3,000 innocent Americans on 9/11; brought down the Twin Towers, attacked the Pentagon, and their plans to attack the White House were thwarted by a citizen militia.

Now, these short years later: there is little outrage, less memory, almost no outrage, certainly no will to fight—except maybe so-called global warming. Now there's an enemy one can cozy up to. No surprise. There is no evil to confront. What a comfort to the morally deranged.

Courses are taught in our universities that demonstrate quite logically that the 9-11 atrocity was planned and committed by President Bush/the Mossad/ Greedy Jewish Real Estate developers—gosh, just take your pick.

(Never forget, 12% of the American population believes that Elvis is alive.)

CAIR and other terrorist enabler Muslim organizations are on the offensive, and the Dems run on a strong anti War platform—any war.

Jim has not been watching too many epidoes of '24.'

He's been watching realtiy TV, AKA, real life.

Muslims will Dirty Nuke an American city? You know what would happen after the initial burst of fury?

People will:

1. Blame America for making the Muslims crazies so desperate they just had to do it.
2. Blame would then fall on the Zionist lobby. This will come from Harvard.
3. From there, it moves to the CIA, Haliburton, and finally to those evil and violent Christian fundamentalists.
4. Muslims will insist that Islam is the religion of Peace. And everyone better agree or the next bomb will be even more peaceful.

As always, thanks so much for writing.

Moshe: As one who did fight in active ground combat in the current war, I must agree with your contention that "enough lives have been lost." As soon as the jihadis stop slaughtering innocents, we can go home. To leave sooner ("surrender" is the word you are seeking) would cause a bloodbath that would dwarf the enormous loss of life that followed our retreat from Vietnam. To allow the mullahs to continue their nuclear programs unchecked would cause a similar bloodbath, against the "Little Satan" (Israel) and the "Great Satan" (us) Iran has hated for so long.

It would be nice to find a Leftist who truly believed in the protection of innocent life--ANY innocent life. I shan't hold my breath.

Robert: I apologize for feeding the troll ;).

MAJ Hilts:

Yes, I agree. I'm in the same camp as actor Ron Silver, who points out that most liberals are against injustice, until it's time to actually punish the people responsible... then they're against that too. It's like the bumper sticker says: "Violence never solved anything, except for Nazism, Communism, Canabalism, etc."

Wow, Robert I have to say, I love your writing!
Your skill at making a point, in as minimum amount of words as necessary, and the strong feeling of understanding a complex issue, wow, second to none!

I just wish that you could have a wider national audience on a regular basis. We need you.

Kot Tov, and a Happy Kosher, and hopefully uplifting Pessach to you and family,
Rabbi Rick Probstein

Maj. Hilts:

We know your combat record well. No reason for you to apologize. We respectfully thank you for your support and for your service.

Jake:

I think it's avery good idea to make war on cannibals. They are evil meat eaters. D'you think we can get PETA to sign on for combat duty? We'll give them vegan meals, natch.

Rabbi Probstein:

Thanks so much for the kind words. I actually have a national audience. Seraphic Secret is read all over the world. I have faithful readers in Los Angeles, Toronto, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Jerusalem, Brooklyn (naturally) Iraq, Afghanistan (love our troops!) London, Paris, and one of my very favorite cities: Tokyo.

But none—not one single reader—in North Korea.

Go figure.

Karen and I are quite content with our little corner of cyber-space, and our many fine Seraphic Friends.

Have a happy and joyous Pesach.

Robert- you are simply the best political and foreign policy analyst on the planet --- bar none- period. end of discussion.

best wishes,

Dan Wohlgelernter

Daniel:

Thanks so very much. We try.

P.S. Send $ to secrt acct n Cayman Islands :)

Robert, for our sake, I hope you're wrong.

People will: 1. Blame America for making the Muslims crazies so desperate they just had to do it. 2. Blame would then fall on the Zionist lobby. This will come from Harvard. 3. From there, it moves to the CIA, Haliburton, and finally to those evil and violent Christian fundamentalists.

I know the loonies have their favorite playbook, but who takes Mike Farrell and Ward Churchill seriously, other than the fringe? Yes, I'm sure that, given a nuclear disaster, they'd simply become more shrill, but who'd listen? More pressing mattes at hand, like how to deal with that Giant Nuclear Dust Cloud heading this way.

The "elite" schools and their leftist professors, as usual, would blame America, but again, who cares? Most folks call their Dog 'n Pony Show for what it is.

Both the East and West coasts - Greenwich Village and Berkeley - march to their own bizarre tune. But remember: America is not just the coasts. It's Flyover Country. It's Missouri and Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, Nevada and Utah. I live out here. I get the sense that people are getting fed up with the B.S.

4. Muslims will insist that Islam is the religion of Peace. And everyone better agree or the next bomb will be even more peaceful.

Thanks to the Internet and sites like Jihad Watch and Daniel Pipes, more and more people are learning about the muslim tradition of "makara," ie: lies and deception (see also "taqiyya," and "kitman").

Not to say that all is well; too many folks would rather tune in to American Idol and put their brains on hold, rather than deal with the snake in their back yard. However, a calamity as terrible as a major American city enveloped in a mushroom cloud...that would rattle us to the bone. I really believe that. And from there, it's only a matter of time before we reach for the "Launch" button.

Btw, I second the Rabbi; we need guys like you! Thanks for keepin' it real!

Robert, respectfully, why is my recent reply to you being held in limbo?

Thank you,

A. Acacia

Acacia:

Apologies. For some reason your comment was held up automatically as "unpublished." Not sure why. I had to publish it automatically.

Anyway.

I understand that creatures like Mike Farrel and Ward Churchill are not mainstream, and yet the dems just voted to surrender. I know that President Bush will veto this disgraceful bill, and yet it is there.

It's hard to guage the temperature of the American people. I don't think they are ready for surrender, but I don't think they truly understand the profound commitment needed to fight the Islamic threat at our gates.

Maybe I'm wrong.

In any case, I am heartened by comments like yours.

I do thank you for your kind words and I look forward to spilling more cyber ink to do my part in annihilating the evil jihadists, and the fellow western travelers who are the kapos of our time.

Robert, thanks for the reply. Maybe TypeKey is designed to automatically "withhold" comments that contain links (as mine did) to allow admins to review. That's my guess.

Acacia:

Who knows? Dumb computer. Thanks for being so understanding.