Evil is not neutral

[bemildred]

Two of the most prominent personages today in the global arena, who visited Israel last week, spoke clearly and lucidly against the Iranian danger. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. Senator John McCain, the Republican presidential frontrunner, agree that the Islamic Republic in Tehran is a genuine threat to the security of Israel, the Middle East and even beyond.

Through its attempts to procure nuclear weapons and its declared ambition to destroy Israel, its active support of Hezbollah and Hamas and its incitement of American forces in Iraq, Iran has proved to be a power that is actively undermining worldwide stability. The international community is obligated to work to stop Iran before it causes a major conflagration.

Even those who warn against Iran agree that the use of military force against it should be a last resort. The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, plus Germany, have made it clear to Tehran that it will not succeed in driving a wedge between them - despite Chinese and Russian reservations about a military operation. They have also signaled to Iran that a diplomatic failure will only serve to strengthen those calling for an offensive. Merkel, perhaps the most prominent European leader today, is initiating an international conference to discuss the issue. McCain, who will be running in November against the Democratic Party candidate, has dropped signals that should cause Iran's leaders to lose sleep at night: Although President George W. Bush is about to retire, it is quite possible that the next administration will maintain a policy of continuity on the issue of Iran.

In recent months the Bush administration scored two own goals in the complex game against Iran: the National Intelligence Estimate, which determined that Iran had ceased its nuclear planning in 2003, and the public rift with Admiral William Fallon, the commander of Centcom, who objected to Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney's "saber rattling." Of no avail were all the belated excuses of the intelligence report's authors, who claimed it was not their intention to make light of the Iranian danger, but only to point out that external pressure influences decisions in Iran, and that in the two most important channels - the production of nuclear material for warheads and the development of ground-to-ground missiles meant to carry them - Iran is growing stronger.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/967056.html