[ValenB4]

The Iranian people are not pigs or butchers. They are a great people being held back by a bad government. I suspect the people have had their fill of Islam and most of them probably aren't very observant Muslims. Supposedly Zoroastrianism is making a bit of a comeback. It's only a matter of time before that government changes. Maybe it will change peacefully as one political generation replaces another, or maybe it will be someday overthrown. Regardless, Iran is probably farther away from a nuke than we think. They are also not in violation of the NPT and the IAEA, so a war would be unjustified.

[mmercier]

i apologize if i offended you. note that i said in the end we will likely "stand" them down, not "put" them down. i understand that most people are good, but those under the hand of the evil for so long, who have not risen to their own defense for so long, are unreliable as allies.

i have no confidence in another iranian revolution.

i have no confidence in american or british intelligence apparatus's ability to foment such an outcome.

i have only my bleak understanding of geopolitical interaction, and the patterns seem to indicate war, and only war as a means of resolution.

i love peace like anyone else; please try to recognize the historical reality that war is always required as a precursor to peace. in this case, it is going to come right down to the line, as stated above i have no faith in the iranian people or our political class... i pray i am wrong, believe that.

i feel like the skunk at the picnic.

mercier