[jpsb]

Mostly agree, but we in the middle east are in much the same position as Hanibal in Italy 150BCish. We can't be beaten but we can't prevail either. Not enought troops on the ground for a general war in the middle east. Iran knows this and just might be willing to roll the dice, if it could come up with a good Perl Harbor type attack on US forces in Iraq. Not likely, but it is a worry.

[Jeff Head]

I posited just such a thing inb my Dragon's Fury Series.

At this stage, I do not believe it will happen...I believe in fact, we may be setting a fly trap in the hopes they will try it. We do not have to invade and take Iran. We do have to take down their nuclear program and hurt their military. If we do, Irean will implode IMHO.

Syria, we can decimate their military with the IDF's help in a fairly short time. Net result is that two of the largets supporters of terrorism in the world will get laid low and set back militarily big time...and Iran's nuclear progream will, in the mix, get set/bombed back twenty or more years, or better yet, permanently.

[justa-hairyape]

Hannibal precisely. Great Point. If the Israeli's are looking for any advice, perhaps they should not make the same historical mistake the Romans eventually made against 'Carthage'. Oh sure they did kill and destroy Hannibal's Army, and eventually all the Carthaginians in Carthage, and they did destroy Carthage and they did 'salt the earth'. But guess what. A group of people called the Vandals, who had been forced out of Eastern Europe's Southern Regions by the Huns, ended up settling in Carthage and rebuilding the city. Eventually they invaded the Italian peninsula and sacked Rome. Of course it was a late period Rome that had allowed itself to get soft and weak. Bottom line - You may need more then just salt to keep that meal down.