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Well the US and Israel can't just blast Tehran with nuclear weapons or even with conventional bombs until all other options are exhausted. We're making history here that will last for hundreds of years, and we don't want to go down in history as a nation that bombed Iran when a diplomatic solution was still likely to occur. I don't see the US using nuclear weapons in any scenario. We can take out their nuclear facilities with multiple bombing runs using GPS-guided bunker busters. Israel doesn't have our air power, so most likely if this ends in a military strike we would bomb Iran to make sure Israel isn't forced into using nukes.

But Iran will not go unchecked. I think the patience being displayed by Bush, Blair, and other western leaders is a sign of very high confidence that Iran is not close to building working nuclear weapons (and I hope they're right about that).

"....diplomatic solution likely to occur."? Such as what? How is diplomacy undertaken with a madman who will not talk and vows to obliterate one of our strongest allies from the fave of the earth? How is diplomacy undertaken with a regime that thumbs its nose at all other world leaders?

Dropping the A-bombs on Japan ended the madness the Japanese wrought. Now they are an economic partner and an ally. I don't see the down side to nuking Teheran.

I wasn't talking about us nuking Teheran. I was speaking of Israel. It is Israel whom Teheran is openly threatening. It may be part of a larger game to them, but the Israelis are not obligated to play it with them. The fact that Teheran has undertaken this threat against Israel and this escalate/de-escalate "game" confirms their credentials as a terrorist state with a rogue leader. Right now Israel is taking political heat because, once again, the good guys are fighting a militia within a country of supposed innocents. This is the game the bad guys like Hamas and Hezbollah play over and over. They hide behind the citizens of the host country, in this case very willing Shiite supporters of Hezbollah, for political advantage, and that is why I say Israel should shake off that game and go direct to the puppetmaster.