"Alon Ben-Meir, a professor of international relations at New York University's Center for Global Affairs, said Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak used the American visits to send a message to Tehran that Israel won't hesitate to take unilateral action. Ben-Meir cautions U.S. and other officials against seeing the Israeli threats as mere posturing, pointing out the profound national security concerns that shape Israeli defense policy and the country's unshakable faith that Washington will come to its rescue if a strike against Iran triggers retaliation by Tehran or its well-armed allies in the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militia. "I don’t think Israel is bluffing entirely. There is an element of exaggerating its readiness to act and likelihood of winning. But many advisors to Prime Minister Netanyahu are saying that if he waits six or eight months, they may end up unable to do anything significant in terms of damage" to nuclear facilities that Iran has been moving underground to protect them from airstrikes, Ben-Meir said." LA Times
------------------------------------
Once again. Israel, go for it! If you think that you can't live with technologically advanced Muslim countries then hit Iran. You go girl, er, country... You show them wogs what their place is... at your feet, right? After all, aren't you God's chosen people? The stupid Americans will come in and clean up after you by finishing off the enemies of God. And you better do it before November, 'cause Obama might win and then, he might be harder to control with campaign money and the threat of losing the election in a few places like Florida. Romney, well, if only you could be sure... pl
If that guy in the rundown log cabin down the road continually threatens me with death and keeps acquiring bigger and bigger guns and vicious dogs, what do you think I should do?
And BTW, I live in a remote area where police response is spotty at best.
Posted by: TWV | 04 August 2012 at 10:46 AM
All my poor, old, tired brain can figure out is: If Israel strikes Iran in October, the Doctrine of Unanticipated Consequences will run wild. "Whirl is king." —Aristophanes
Posted by: E L | 04 August 2012 at 11:57 AM
Congressional complicity and the necon/wilsonian as the smart beans in these affairs are incredible, given their track records;
“The irony couldn’t be deeper. The United States invaded Iraq to bring about a ‘regime change’ and introduce democracy and the empowered government in Baghdad promptly asked the US troops to vacate occupation and now turns to its old cold-war era ally Russia to resuscitate the sinews of military ties. Iraq is today a close friend of Iran. It is supportive of the regime of Bashar Al-Assad in Syria and is helping Damascus in many ways to counter the Western sanctions against Syria. But its ties with Turkey have plummeted and the relations with Saudi Arabia remain frosty.
Suffice to say, this is not the Iraq that the neocons in the US wanted to see ‘empowered’ as the beacon of the so-called ‘New Middle East.’ The only ‘net gain’ in geopolitical terms that Washington can claim today is that Iraq’s military capability has been rendered ineffective, which of course immensely works to Israel’s advantage in the overall strategic balance. “
http://blogs.rediff.com/mkbhadrakumar/
Posted by: Rd. | 04 August 2012 at 01:20 PM
Go ahead and attack, but when the dogs get you, do not expect any help from the rest of us. You are on your own.
Posted by: r whitman | 04 August 2012 at 08:17 PM
The joint US/Israel exercise Austere Challenge is scheduled for October. It would be convenient to have all those juicy US missile defense assets in place just in case.
The crescendo of former and present Israeli security types opining NYET! on a solo Israeli attack on Iran appears to be prompting a slew of entitled demands that we should do the deed in their stead.
Posted by: lally | 04 August 2012 at 08:20 PM
If he's that big of a pain in the ars e, just drop a cobra down his shorts
Posted by: J | 04 August 2012 at 09:33 PM
If Israel was smart they would cut a quick deal with the Palastinians and then put up bigger walls around their hallowed ground cause the ME seems to be getting ready to go through a much different Arab Spring than many thought possible and one that the U.S. or Israel should not involve themselves in.
Posted by: Bobo | 04 August 2012 at 10:24 PM
the question needs to be reframed. the guy in the cabin is not threatining u w/ death, he just says your way of racism and apartheid is unsustainable and will vanish from historical time as apartheid south africa or the communist soviet union vanished. And u have thermonukes targeted at most of the world's capitals.
Posted by: Will | 05 August 2012 at 12:22 AM
Obviously you should launch a campaign of harassment and violence, culminating in ambushing him and beating him as badly as you possibly can. This is a reasonable course of action that will have no negative consequences for you whatsoever.
Posted by: Grimgrin | 05 August 2012 at 03:27 AM
TWV, so Iran has the right to attack Israel?
Please explain.
Posted by: Walrus | 05 August 2012 at 04:02 AM
Almayadeen news network has quoted the previous chief of mossad as saying that the Syrian Crisis will be resolved in two weeks time. It seems all the sides are treating Halab as the decisive endgame colonel?
Posted by: fatsamurai | 05 August 2012 at 09:32 AM
fatsamurai
I said earlier that I think that Aleppo will be decisive for this phase of the struggle for Syria. pl
Posted by: turcopolier | 05 August 2012 at 09:44 AM
A pictue is worth a thousand words. I see from the cover photo we have no dog in that fight. Hopefully the D.C. crowd can figure that out.
Posted by: fred | 05 August 2012 at 12:01 PM
If Israel were smart? They are smart. They keep extracting unconditional declarations of support from the venile US politicians.
Our "unbreakable" relationship is the moral hazard.
Posted by: Matthew | 05 August 2012 at 01:19 PM
I must be slow, I didn't catch that.
Posted by: Medicine Man | 05 August 2012 at 05:19 PM
Groan.
Posted by: lally | 05 August 2012 at 10:14 PM
Take a look @the caption photo - two kittens at play
Posted by: fred | 05 August 2012 at 10:44 PM