http://www.aim.org/guest-column/how-will-the-candidates-deal-with-iran/

How Will the Candidates Deal with Iran?

The only thing for certain is that the candidate who wins will face the most serious set of seemingly insoluble problems since Ronald Reagan took the oath of office. But the presidency should not be for the faint of heart, and we have to pray that the man or woman who walks into the White House in January 2009 will have the experience, wisdom, and personal courage to do what is right for America, not just what is right for his or her reelection. That means whomever we elect must put aside the briefing book marked “your next campaign” and pick up the one marked “urgent problems.”

Tab A of that briefing book is Iran. Why Iran instead of Iraq? Because Iraq is just a subset of the Iran problem. Whatever you think about why and how we got into Iraq, the thing that will matter in the long run is how and why we get out, and what we leave behind.

If we quit Iraq without leaving behind a stable government, as Sens. Obama or Clinton propose, it will be easy pickings for Iran. It will finally achieve what it has sought for millennia – impotent neighbors to its east and west.

Some would argue, so what? It doesn’t matter to us if Iran is the dominant power in the Persian Gulf. We’ve got plenty of problems right here in America without worrying about the Middle East. Let’s just bring the troops home. It didn’t matter when we left Vietnam; why should it matter if we leave Iraq?

But the Middle East is not Southeast Asia. Iraq and Afghanistan are not Vietnam. There are differences: an emboldened Iran is likely to develop nuclear weapons and set off a nuclear arms race in the region. Their militant brand of Islam will spread throughout the region. They will expand the long reach of Middle East funded terrorism. Without America watching its back, Israel will be alone in the Middle East and surrounded. Iran will control a significant percentage of the world’s energy resources.

And Iran is already flexing its muscles. After years of assurances that they were not involved in Iraq, we now have clear evidence they are funding, training and supplying weapons to Shiite militias in Iraq. After years of assurances that their nuclear program is for only for peaceful purposes, we now have clear evidence that their goal is nuclear weapons. Now that they have been caught red-handed in both instances, their response is to break off negotiations with the U.S. over Iraq and with the United Nations over nuclear enrichment.

The Iranians invented the game of chess, and they’re good at it. Their latest chess move – to cut off talks – is an indication they think events are breaking their way, and that the Bush administration’s influence in the Middle East is waning. From their point of view, defiance is a good chess move, especially if they believe the next American president they face will pull out of the region and approach Iran, hat in hand and, as Sen. Obama says, “negotiate face to face.”

Pollsters, pundits and politicians and even the candidates themselves have been telling us for months that this is a critical election. It is critical, and one of the biggest problems the new president will face is what to do about Iran. We need the candidates to tell us what they plan to do when they open the briefing book that is waiting in the Oval Office.



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FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor KT McFarland is a former top Pentagon official in the Reagan Administration and a frequent television and radio commentator on national security issues


President Bush was right about one thing - the war on terror will take many years and much sacrifice if we are to win it.
Maybe this is the end of the last super power and the beginning of the new super powers. What a sad thought for our children's future.

You say, "Bush was right about one thing - the war on terrorism will take many years."

It makes me wonder how he could say that when he went for Saddam instead of Bin Laden.

Bush was right about a lot of things. I think given the circumstances, he has done a more than good job during his presidency. Due to mainstream liberal media it is "cool" to hate Bush now, but he actully did a very good job. Things only started to go downhill about 5 years ago after Democrats took control in the House. No one likes to put the blame on the Democrats though.

Oh and we did, and still are, going for Bin Laden. He IS still the MOST WANTED MAN in the world. I doubt the U.S. would be offering millions of dollars in reward money for capturing him if we truly had no intention of capturing him.

Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq - all are storm clouds that will have consequences for the next president and the American people.

Yes, and if we weren't in Iraq per Bush's orders and lies, we would have more manpower and monies for future storms.

That article is the biggest load of neo-con crap Ive read in a long time. That guy must be the one who wrote the Bushie indoctrination manual!!

Its an obvious attempt to use blind fear to try and get McCain elected.

Thanks for the laugh.

Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq - does it matter where it starts.....

Ahhhhhh,, yes, where to start.....

Lets start with the problem that wasn't.

Iraq,
There was no terrorism, no Al qaeda in Iraq before Bush created a playground for them to kill Americans without even buying a plane ticket. Even so half the violence he contributes to Al Qaeda is nothing more than the opposite side of a civil war. The side that doesn't want his puppet government running their country.

Moving on,
Pakistan,
The Pakistan Government, The dictator Pervez Musharraf, is an Allie to Bush and possesses Nukes already. He took power in a coupe and has refused to relinquish it for years. He is a far more dangerous man than Iran's nasty little troll.

Next,
Iran,
Sheesh, Bush is driving their wish for a nuclear weapon, and why not? As N Korea and Pakistan have demonstrated again and again, if a country possesses a nuke, we wont invade.
Until we invaded Iraq, they had been relatively silent for years.
We have demonstrated that we wish to add our own puppet in in their country ever since the end of WWII. They ran one of them out, and have been doing good for themselves after fighting off Saddam in the 80's, when we financed that war. Now Bush moves our military right next door, kills the ex-Allie Saddam, proving the US cant be trusted once again, and places them on his infamous axis of evil list.

Finally,
Afghanistan,
The real war!! The only just war! The true enemy!

How many times can you say in 30 seconds?


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Damn Neo-cons!!!!

Lets not forget, while we are in Afghanistan, which we should have only done long enough to topple the Taliban and Get bin Laden... Nation Building wasn't on the menu when this all started, that the majority of the 9/11 hijackers were in fact from Saudi Arabia. Funny how they're never mentioned when everyone's talking about the Terrorism Boogeyman.

I wonder who will be strong enough to handle iran........iraq, israel, china.........hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I guess its too much on anyones plate............

Under estimating our enemies again are you? The Us probably won't be strongh enough to save the world the next time around......And as far as you blaming the US for them wanting nuclear weapons are you off your rocker? They want these weapions to deny their people their freedom and to hold the rest of the free world hostage.

who said its our responsibility "to save the world",,,,

always, "follow the money",,,,, "who benefits from war"

when i read your threads the only word that comes to mind is "naive"

Do you people have a clue what a mess we have made? You're like toddlers, going from one room pulling out as much sh-t as you can and just going on to the next, talking about how you don't want to be taxed. As if, we are Rambo. Force hasn't worked dud. Let's try some talking. Grandpa needs to keep it in his pants.

Well you don't know much about history do you.... The US saved the world from communism by entering both world wars. Suppose we had done nothing - what would the map look like today - Naive - are you kidding me.

http://www.gulfnews.com/business/Oil_and_Gas/10193501.html

China will be the reason that Iran gets nuclear weapons.

it's not WWIII, it's about "oil",,,,,,, and sending kids over to the middle east to die for it is just insane!!!!!!!!

have you learned nothing? the wars that were fought then do not exist today. we don't even know who we are fighting in Iraq. Frankly I think we would be safer will a more equally world balance of arms, cause it seems we are so stupid now to think any country could gather an arsenal to actually threaten us. It is all a game, to keep the military industrial complex alive. Yea remember that phrase. See, georgie and his friends haven't gooten fat enough from this war.

I think you are a relic

Funny how toddlers never see danger on the horizon. The name is a better fit for you!!!