Israel's relationship with the United States is not a suicide pact. If the Israelis unilaterally fly a strike force in there tomorrow, Rice and the rest of the world will find out after the fact, as the Reagan Administration found out after the fact, post-Osirak. Rice can scream all she wants.
Israel's choices, since the publication of the worthless NIE report, are limited. Any sane person, well versed in Middle East affairs (as most FReepers are) and contemporary Islam, could not but conclude any Israeli operation (whether truly effective or not) would be a clear self defense act, at the least in light of the Persian leadership's constant threats to destroy Israel.
Some believe Israel does not have the military capability to shut down the Persian nuclear program. Many believe they do, as well as me. At the least, set it back many years.
Western power brokers have apparently decided a strike right now on Iran would be too "disruptive" to the global economy. So, personally, I anticipate waking up one morning in the future to hear about an IDF strike on Iran that will have been sophisticated, well planned out, and quite surprising, AGAIN, in its reach and scope, to the rest of the world.
Now, whether self defense pacts between Russia and Iran kick in, and alliances between certain radical Islamic Middle East states which have realized the rotten fruit of years of Islamic hatred whipped up against the Jews coming to full fruition in war, and TIMES person of the year, Vladimir Putin invokes and co-opts Bush's "preemptive" war doctrine to invade the Middle East to "stop the threat" of the Jewish nation like we did with Iraq (while seeking to counter U.S. hegemony in the region)—and whether people choose to believe this is Ezekiel chpt. 38 and 39 fulfilled, is for future discussion.
Nonetheless, nothing has changed. The U.S. can stop Iran. The U.S. and Israel together can stop Iran. But if the U.S. doesn't want to stop Iran, they are delusional if they think Israel will idly stand by while Iran develops their nuclear warfare capability.
Those are Rice's choices.
AMERICA AT WAR
At Salem the Soldier's Homepage ~
Islam, a Religion of Peace®? Some links... by backhoe
Translated Pre-War IRAQ Documents by jveritas
Mohammed, The Mad Poet Quoted.... by PsyOp
"PLAES DO NOT TOCH THE WAR" by AnnaZ
The Clash of Ideologies - A Review
"...It's time we recognized the nature of the conflict. It's total war and we are all involved. Nobody on our side is exempted because of age, gender, or handicap. The Islamofacists have stolen childhood from the world." [FReeper Retief]
"...That the totalitarian force pitted against freedom wears a religious makes this civil war among mankind all the more difficult to engage. Loving freedom as we do, it seems reprehensible to deliberate against a religion. But this is no ordinary religion as it demands absolute obedience of all to their religion at the cost of freedom itself." [FReeper Backtothestreets]
