You talk about Iranians as though they were human beings. Can't have that.

While this is probably true, it is true across the board. The Democratic party thinks it is doing the right thing for the country, and the Republicans think the same of themselves.

The people in both of these parties think that making themselves powerful is the best way to help the country. Hearing one party call the other one anti-American rings hollow to my ears.

Did anyone not notice this statement? I think this shows how ignorant this general is. Is he saying that Al Qaeda in Iraq (which by the way wasn't there before we invaded) is sponsored by Iran? Or what about the Sunni-on-Sunni, Sunni-on-Shia and Shia-on-Shia infighting going on across the country? I agree with him though that one of the biggest mistakes we've made was to disarm Iraq (by disbanding its military). He doesn't admit it but that's what started the insurgency. As to oil, the only ME country that supplies us with oil of any significant quantity is Saudi Arabia. It has been suggested that we could stop relying on Saudi oil if we made 1/3 of our vehicles diesel-powered. I imagine similar if not bigger savings would be achieved if pickup and SUV owners who don't need these vehicles (which is the vast majority) switched to driving cars instead.

As to Pakistan, once Musharaf is out of power all bets are off. I'm afraid a firm pressure from the West may not be enough to keep the radicals there under control. Pakistan is a much bigger threat than Iran because in the tribal regions it is a safe haven for Al Qaeda and the Taliban and unlike Iran Pakistan is nuclear-armed. Iran is our enemy only because of our own stupidity. We installed the brutal Shah that was corrupt and oppressed the people. We shouldn't have been surprised when he and the country were overrun by the Islamic revolution that persists to this day. Also stupid was Bush's total refusal to talk to Iran, even when the reformists within Iran's government reached out to us a few years ago. Bush ignored it and the reformists were ridiculed and side-lined, leading to the election of radical Ahmadinejad and his hardcore anti-US and anti-Israel attitudes. It will take a change in leadership in both countries for the relationship to improve. War with Iran would be beyond stupid. Not only do we not have money for it (we don't even have money for Iraq), but our military is already overstretched and given the size of Iran and its armed forces Iraq would seem like a walk in the park in comparison. Furthermore our invasion would turn the Iranian population against us and unite them behind the clerical regime that they currently don't like very much. It is time for us to stop thinking that invading other countries that have done us no harm can win hearts and minds in the Muslim world because it does the exact opposite and it only strengthens the radicals, making the war on terror all that tougher to fight.

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The insurgents we are fighting now in Iraq are largely being trained and equiped in Syria and Iran. The insurgents themselves come from all over the middle east. I beleive the profile is about the same as college students in the West, ie somewhat educated, young, etc.

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I second your ideas. We should be worried about Pakistan, not Iran. remember both Pakistan and India have nuclear weapons!!! Its articles like this and the radical thinking that will bankrupt the US. We are followinfg the exact path the Soviet Union took in their war with Afhanistan with the exception that no one would lend them any money!!! Now we are living on borrowed money from the Far East and Middle East to wage wars!!! One should look at the bigger picture and why these Muslim Radicals are rising up in the first place.

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I'm not denying that Iran is looking out after its Shia allies in Iraq. But who's equipping the Sunni insurgents and Al-Qaeda? Clearly not Iran as that would be self-defeating.

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Actually it lookslike the Sunni insurgents and AQiI are at the end of their ropes. The Surge has worked and the people in Iraq are now getting behind their government and helping put down the insurgents esp Al-Qaeda. The issue now becomes the Iranian backed Shia who for the time being have been falling in line. I think that they would stay that way until the week before we cut and run. Then they will come out and create a Shia satellite state or Iran.

What we need to do is to continue the surge tactics and make sure that the people in Iraq get the breathing room they need to get their collective acts together. While I do think that disbanding the Iraqi Army was a mistake it was done we have to move on. Actually I thnik the whole stupid invasion was a mistake -- we could have worked with Saddam like we did in the 1970's the real threats were and are Saudi Arabia and Iran...

The USA should and must take a page out the French play book. EVERYTHING they do is for the aggrandizement and benefit of France. We seem to be the only contry who goes into these things with an idealistic and altruistic mind. You had better believe that if France could not work with Saddam (as they were very happily doing) they would have invaded and simply annexed the oil fields leaving the rest of the country to rot.

The USA should get something straight... either we play for keeps or we should go home. If we are going to enforce a Pax-Americana, we need to be willing to do so. If not then I am all for becoming isolationist, cutting our ties to Europe, China, etc and living within our means. This implies no more cheap DVD players and expensive oil (expensive environmentally and cost wise as we exploit Alaska and the coasts) Close the borders and build the SDI missle shield!

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How about something in the middle, like most countries are doing, i.e. not being isolationist but at the same time not policing the world and mostly minding our own business. I'd be for that.

The Sunni insurgents are mostly on our side for the time being because part of the surge involves paying them to keep security in their neighborhoods. I agree Al Qaeda isn't doing too well in Iraq because most of Iraq, including former insurgents have turned against it. That kind of flies in the face of the war supporters' argument that we need to stay there to keep fighting Al Qaeda. As far as Iraq being a Shia satellite state of Iran, it kind of already is, isn't it? I agree we should have continued dealing with Saddam diplomatically. Removing him has greatly strengthened Iran, precisely not what we wanted.

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Do you really think that radical Islam will permit this?

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Me too.Why would "radical Islam" be in any position to prohibit it?

Your Cash and nuthin' but trash.

Fighting radicalism is mostly about intelligence gathering and that requires among other things good cooperation from other countries. You'll have a hard time getting it by being a unilateral bully.

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We've got the finest military on Earth, equipped with the latest and greatest weapons available, of that I have little doubt.

Unfortunately, we currently don't have the manpower or money for another war, let alone also support the wars were in.

But if that's the course we're going to pursue, then we have several options:

Option 1:

1. Start the draft up or recruit several hundred thousand more volunteers.
2. Raise or borrow multiple more trillions of dollars.
3. Convince our allies to earnestly join the fight and share the costs.

If we can't accomplish all 3 of the above, then invading Iran and bringing them "into line" is not a doable option.

Option 2:

Go nuclear and wipe them all out at little cost to us, except a bunch of ageing nuclear missiles that are just laying around anyway. The only problem is all those poor innocent civilians that would die. I mean it's not like they would defend their land and sovereignty in a massive foreign invasion.

Option 3:

Resolve all of our differences diplomatically and pursue a peaceful coexistence with Iran and/or the Islamic extremeist. Probably wishfull thinking, but worth some thought and effort.


So for all of us that want to "stabilize the region", which option would you choose, or perhaps suggest ?

My first choice would be option 3, backed with the threat of option 2 and really mean it. Option 1 would bankrupt the country to the point of no return.

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Question Authority before it Questions you.

Regarding Option 2, what if someone who's sympathetic to Iran decides to counter-nuke us? Even if that doesn't happen the cost to us economically and diplomatically could be astronomical. We would be considered the chief sponsor of terrorism and there could be lots of trade sanctions against us. China could retaliate by ceasing to lend us money and trading with us. This could bring down the US economy without even firing a shot.

Option 3 is the closest to a logical choice, but it's poorly worded. Iran is not all extremist. Just the current president and a few clerics in the government are and even with those you could probably reach some sort of an agreement. Most Iranians are like us and they just want to live their lives peacefully. Again in my view, the problem isn't really Iran. The problem is in Pakistan and Afghanistan where Al Qaeda and Taliban are regrouping. What if they get a hold of Pakistan's nukes?

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They can do that anytime they choose, but their not done with us yet.

I stand corrected. We would have to make peace with Iran and also the folks who would not want to live under those agreements.

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Question Authority before it Questions you.