Someone wrote to lecture me about Iranian universities and cleverness. I think it was "curious." Well, lovely. What will that matter when the Revolutionary Guard and their Howza enablers draw the enmity of the whole world onto the Iranian people, Persians, etc.?
The United States is a remarkably primitive state in terms of its understanding of the outer world. As an elitist, I attribute that to the leveling process so favored by the modern world. Jefferson did not intend this.
In any event, one must face the issue of what US policy should be towards Iran in the context of the Iranian state's manifest intention to "trick f---k" the world into inaction while it achieves the status of a nuclear capable state.
After some thought it is my opinion that we should do everything we can to impede Iran's progress towards nuclear power status while preparing ourselves for the day when the Iranian government explodes a device in the "Dasht-e-Kevir" (more Arabic loan words, did these people not have a language of their own?)
When that happens, (in spite of our sabotage), we must serve notice on Iran that a combat use of nuclear weapons will immediately lead to a total destruction of Iran by the United States.
Sorry, Israel. pl
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61D1EH20100214
The long pole in the tent seems to me to be the Pu production, as it is very difficult and requires so much industrial expertise, not to mention the (BTW non-power producing) breeder reactor.
Posted by: Frabjous | 16 February 2010 at 03:05 PM
huh? Anybody who can stack a lego can produce plutonium. It's that easy. How do you think handford B reactor was made? or the first nuclear reactor at U o Chi was made? It's just a block of stacked lead brick with holes for uranium pallets entrance. nature takes care the rest. Tho iranian has their own small research reactor plus north Korean supply. Obtaining plutonium is trivial once they have uranium.
Then making hollow pit or "swan device" type of nuke is definitely within range of iranian capability. It's not like they have to figure out everything from scratch, all they have to do is cut and paste. They don't even have to do the calculation anymore. Somebody already figured it out.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapon_design
Any half drunk computer hacker can run a C&C milling machine and make swan device. Dude. It's basic metal work. Walmart/basement garage type of deal. enriching uranium is the most complicated infrastructure. Making device around 100Kg. (to fit inside their current ballistic missile) is definitely within their capability.
Multi stage/H-bomb is complicated.
Posted by: curious | 16 February 2010 at 08:22 PM
Colonel,
Israel has been doing its best to goad Iran into going over the nuke weapons thresh-hold, goading Iran into making a nuke weapon. Israel is a bully with their undeclared nuke weapons stockpiles, threatening other Mideast states at every turn. It's time that Israel was called on the carpet and forced to declare their nuke weapons stockpiles and then actions taken to neutralize Israel's bully behavior once and for all.
Was Israel right all along? That is a loaded question.
Posted by: J | 16 February 2010 at 09:44 PM
Make Israel destroy their undeclared nuke weapons stockpiles, or we the U.S. will do it for them, forcefully if necessary. Make Israel an example for going forward to make the entire Mideast a nuke weapons free environment. Such an environment is beneficial for all concerned (U.S., Russia, China, India, etc.).
Posted by: J | 16 February 2010 at 11:16 PM
J, I think we'd get along over beers. I think you're incapable of ignoring elephants in the living room. But I'm curious as to your background. Where do you come from (politically, academically, nationally) that you think this is possible?
Posted by: Trent | 17 February 2010 at 04:07 AM
Col. Lang, what do you mean by, "Sorry, Israel"?
Posted by: Trent | 17 February 2010 at 01:15 PM
Patrick J. Buchanan commenting on the recent White House ridicule of Ahmadinejad in a recent address where he said Iran would enrich uranium to 20 percent and manufacture its own rods for what he called medical research.
White House: "He [Ahmadinejad] says many things, and many of them turn out to be untrue. We do not believe they have the capability to enrich to the degree to which they now say they are enriching."
Buchanan remarked and said: "Wait a minute. If Iran does not have the capability to enrich to 20 percent for fuel rods, how can Iran enrich to 90 percent for a bomb?"
If Iran does not have the capability to enrich to 20 percent for fuel rods, how can Iran enrich to 90 percent for a bomb?
Posted by: J | 28 February 2010 at 08:42 PM
Patrick J. Buchanan's Comment: "If Iran does not have the capability to enrich to 20% for fuel rods, how can Iran enrich to 90 percent for a bomb?"
So why all this fuss about sanctions and military strikes on Iran?
Posted by: J | 28 February 2010 at 08:45 PM
"Looks like the Wurmser option is still the name of the game. O7NIE caused major problems as how to execute the option. Odds increasing that step one of the three steps may materialize as some type of economic warfare, including a naval blockade of Iran, with the neo-pundits drawing a historical comparison to Cuban Missile Crisis to sell to Am. Public. (I believe C. Krauthammer has already laid the pipe for such an analogy in an earlier screed)."
Posted by: Sidney O. Smith III | 03 June 2008 at 08:53 PM
‘Tis true, ‘tis true. I ain’t lyin. Sure, I ain’t no government type I don’t reckon but still: Here it is 2010 and the Israeli FM is now makín’ the comparison b/t a blockade of Iran and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/136292
Btw, Dean Rusk, from what little I know, was a major player in defusing the Cuban Missile Crisis. Politically incorrect of me to put forth such analysis regarding Rusk, but ‘tis true, ‘tis true.
Posted by: Sidney O. Smith III | 03 March 2010 at 01:17 PM