Iran would not be as much of a threat if they were caught up in daily struggles with Iraq.
Playing Russia against China worked for us then. Playing the Sunnis against the Shiites could work for us now.
Of course I'm supposed to believe the cockamamie neocon drivel that there is some sort of Islam-wide conspiracy to institute a worldwide caliphate.
I choose, however, to remain in the real world.
And I choose to take people at their word when they say they want to kill me. When the Supreme Leader of Iran says God has brought the Jews to Israel so they can be nuked, I think he is serious. Especially when they are actually building nukes. When their president makes his cabinet swear allegience to the 12th Immam I think he means it. As for a caliphate, again that's their words, not ours. See my tagline.