[rodguy911]

So I can assume you too think it's a mistake not to respond in kind.To my way of thinking it just sends the wrong message.

[MNJohnnie]

We make the mistake of responding the same way to the thugs running the rouge states every time.

That is the problem here. Since the 19th Century the response is always the same. Buy the local chief off, get your people back.

WAY past time people start looking for different responses to these issues. They could get away with this crap during the Cold War cause they could always play kissing face with the other side if we got too tough on them. They don't have that option anymore.

Rewarding a thug for bad behavior, (i.e. giving the Iranian Government a PR win here) only encourages him to continue being a thug. The proper response is to demonstrate clearly their are lines that he cannot cross without paying a very high price.

I think people should consider there is probably a very good reason they grabbed Brits instead of US personnel. For months now the British Foreign Minister Straw has been running around insisting there is no military option for dealing with Iran. I think the Iranians knew Bush would drop the hammer on them and went after what they thought would be the soft target for this.

[Alas Babylon!]

I definately agree with you and Johnnie.

At a time when the President and his party is on the ropes for failing to fight back against the democrats, the President could not be further weakened by fighting back hard. This is precisely how Harry Truman came back from the dead.

The consequences of not acting--same old, same old--are having terrible consequences for the West. When you keep doing the same thing over and over and it's not working, you gotta be insane to continue the same.

We really need to think through whether or not nhat now is the best timne to take out Iraq. The outcome of 2008 may not go our way, and therefore that ends the War on Terrorism with a loss for the West, if the Dems take complete control. Our window will soon be closing.

East means rain. Climb Mount Niitakayama!