Actually, the Nimitz strike group relieved the Eisenhower group which left the Gulf region at the beginning of May. The USS Stennis and the USS Bonhomme Richard are still operating in the Gulf. The three ships are flagships for three different strike groups.
If we bombed the crap out of them, and didn't follow through, and make it REALLY stick...how long would it take them to come roaring back? Five years? Ten? Maybe twenty? Even twenty, aint 'very' long, in the wider span of historical perspective, now is it?
The idea is detterence; repercussions, today. The Iranian government has publicly threatened both the United States and Israel. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the current Iranian government has been extensively profiled by myriad articles from numerous sources, posted at FREE REPUBLIC. Iran with a nuclear weapons program is intolerable. Five, ten, and twenty years down the road, if we fail to act, could reveal a world living under the tyranny of a nuclear armed Islamist regime with the ability to wreak havoc. It could reveal a world with the current regime in Iran overthrown and living productively among the community of nations.
This present predicament the world has worked itself into, has no easy solution that I can see. Bomb bomb Bomb bombbom-Iran might be a catchy tune, but what happens after the band stops playing? Who cleans up all the spilled drinks, the overturned tables, and the discarded party hats? Who sets things right, so that the next day can be productive, and peaceful? Until we see some sort of way towards how we are going to be able to deal with the repurcussions, then I just caN'T get in the mood to 'paar-tAY(!)' regardless of how many here, seem to think this would all be such great fun.
America has been this way before. Germany and Japan are still there. We're still there. America and the West shouldered the repercussions and prevailed.
If you're thinking that an air campaign, alone, against Iranian nuclear facilities will do the trick, I must say you are living in a fantasy world.
"The idea is deterrence, repercussion today", you say?
FOOL! that's what they WANT us to try. This would be a continuation of what OBL wanted...for us to "go there", fight against Islamic peoples. Except this time, the Iranians, unlike Saddam, can fairly successfully (to the islamic world) feign innocence.
Osama probably knew his small force would likely be defeated, but did't care if whole bunches of his guys died, since he was betting on a more long term, ongoing battle with "the West", taken up against us, by muslims everywhere. Part of their plan, was our response. How to stir the islamics up, get them fighting against the 'great satan'? By attacking the West visibly, then having us go after them, so that there would be grievance and offense, which could be used by imans (prayer leaders) to indoctrinate and rally the 'faithful', into perpetuity...
Going against Iran, without us achieving a total victory, would ramp up a blood feud that could well last centuries. The real and actual Satan would love that, now wouldn't he? ...he'd be the only "winner".
That's why the OBL types and Ahmadinejad think it's such a great idea to keep tempting us. They love the idea so much, because it comes straight from their master...
Even if we did achieve victory, we're not dealing with a defeated German people here, or a Japanese people who will surrender, and obey, at the word of their Emperor.
Yet, you compare this to fighting the Nazi's, and the Japs, but we're going to do it piecemeal, from the air this time??? Slapping at them, isn't good enough. In fact, it's a bad idea. Worse even, then waiting for a nuke to detonate in the U.S. (albeit when, or if, that happens, the Iranians better put their heads firmly between their knees, and kiss their own asses good-bye.)
Further, I absolutely don't need YOU to be pointing out to me the statements Ahmadinejad has made, posted here at FR from other sources. I've read them already.
Take me off of your ping list. There's another one that overlaps much of the same subject matter...
if that freeper will add me to their list, I'd much prefer to be there, since I can more readily agree with him.