The MSM downplays Sirhan Sirhan's killing of RFK. Their hatred of us goes long before any of the Gulf Wars,
You touch on a good point, the depth of hatred held by the "true believers". New Republic, a surisingly honest liberal rag, August 8 issue has an article by Peter Scoblic on th inadequacy of current US response to nuclear threats. Democratizing the Middle East is a worthwhile goal, but hardly sufficient for our immediate defense.
As we see with the insurgent minority's attacks, only a dedicated minority need stay active to yield very real results numbered in coffins. Imagine a successful placement of a "suitcase" Hiroshima sized bomb in a major American city.
Six figure death toll, seven figure casualties, headlong panic not only in the surrounding several hundred miles, but every comparable target city for years. Economic disaster any far beyond the direct damage. Who is going to show up for work in downtown LA or Chicago if Manhatten has just turned into a crater?
Retaliation or pre-emptive? We will have no geographically identifiable nation-state target to render into green glassine slag without murdering millions of innocents.
As pointed up in the NR article, we need to move from ideological response to technological. In short, diplomacy as practiced heretofore be damned, we declare that the very act of developing or obtaining by black market, a nuclear capability by an overtly "Death to America" regime shall henceforth be considered in and of itself an act of war justifying our pre-emptive military response; i.e. taking out your plant BY WHATEVER MEANS NECESSARY before it yields a useable weapon.
Does anyone seriously doubt that if Iran comes into possession of nuclear weapons, such a weapon will eventually be used against us under the name of some multi-syllabic terrorist group witout a return address? Bin Laden is where despite a $25 million reward?
We are several years too late in North Korea, I accept as given they have in hand nukes. We can hope that Kim's paranoia will hold that to defense of his regime. In that arena, China does not like a nuclear neighbor any better than we do, and come crunch time, I believe China will act to constrain that capability's use to the extent they can, with more effect than we can muster.
As to Iran, take out their identifiable plants, if they bitch about it, tough. As to "World Opinion", John Bolton is just the man to invite the UN to start packing for Geneva.
The primary duty of the American Government is to "protect [us] from all threats, foreign or domestic". The old saw about "use it or lose it". has never been more applicable