A nuclear Iran, like a nuclear North Korea, a nuclear Pakistan, a nuclear Red China and a nuclear Soviet Union, is completely and totally unacceptable.
So's death.
Accepting the unacceptable is one of the thing big boys have to do sometimes.
This will be the second time in a couple of years.
After 9/11, instead of declaring war we declared an "Axis of Evil". Since that time, one of the the three was taken down and is now in a civil war that is pulling the US down in its undertow, and the other two either have become or are becoming nuclear powers.
Can't walk that cat back. But we COULD still WIN in Iraq, if we would do the obvious thing. Unfortunately, the obvious thing that would win, the President and the national security team have said is "unacceptable". Therefore, because they will not accept the unacceptable in Iraq, we will accept the unacceptable in Iran.
Sad but true.
The danger of Pakistan is overlooked by many -- an extremely radicalized population an assassination or two away from gaining control of the country. .....a nuclear armed country. Allowing them to develop nukes (under Clinton's watch, of course) could very well turn out to be the biggest mistake we've ever made.
Regarding your post #158: Israel can't do it this time. It's a bridge too far, much too far.
Prescisely. ...and for all the reasons you stated. The U.S. is in a much better position anyway, having Iran surrounding on three sides: Iraq to the west, Afghanistan to the east, and our Naval presence in the Persian Gulf to the south. Plus we have far superior firepower, especially quantitatively. Gonna have to be us, if anyone.