I would expand it to taking out one dam, bridge, or oilfield per night until they capitulate. Think of all the great hand-wringing comentary from the Dhemocrats and the Dhrive by media, what fun!

Sanctions are based on Western logic, he argued. “But when states have missions that are bigger than life, they are not obeying the basic rules of logic that Western civilization obeys.”

Israel Will be at War by Summer, Politician Says

- One step forward;
- Two steps back;
- A side step;
- And a moment of hesitation.

This is what you get, however, if you subscribe to any form of John Kerry’s “Global Test”(TM) as a prerequisite for using military force. The test-givers – who are not the foreign enemy, but your own country’s political left – hand you a checklist to complete beforehand:

- Have you gotten UN approval?
- Was that approval unanimous?
- Have you gotten approval of your domestic opposition?
- Did you let your political opposition in on your strategy?
- Have you tried every conceivable form of negotiation?
- Are you sure?
- Have you gotten approval of “the allies?”
- Was that approval unanimous?
- Have you tried sanctions?
- Did you give those sanctions enough time to work?
- Have you tried incentives?
- Did you give those incentives enough time to work?

And on and on.

Failure to check any box will, of course, invalidate any kind of military action in the eyes of “the world community,” erase any kind of “goodwill” you might’ve had for being a victim of aggression, and justify branding you as a “cowboy” and a “warmonger” engaging in a “war of choice” just like BusHitler.

If you fall into the “checklist” trap, the problem is that while you’re working down from the top of the list the people making the list are constantly adding more checkboxes at the bottom, because they’re not acting in good faith. They know they won’t fight for anything (“Nothing to kill or die for,” as John Lennon put it), so the whole purpose is to keep coming up with reasons not to use force.

Tony Blair is filling out checklists when it comes to Iran. So are we. And the Iranian mullahs are laughing at us. Can you blame them?

It doesn’t help matters if you’re militarily weak and getting weaker, which unfortunately the Brits are these days. Nor is it helpful when your enemy knows that you’re weak, because then bluffing isn’t an effective option.

On a related point, I disagree with those who think that if military force is used, that the Iranian people will suddenly find themselves 100% behind their theocratic oppressors. History shows otherwise, if – and this is a big “if” – the force used is sufficient to inflict a decisive defeat on the totalitarians. Yes, initially nationalism would rally the Iranians behind the mullahs, but if a sharp, undeniable military defeat follows that support will collapse and then the mullahs will be in trouble from their own subjects.

“The essence of war is violence. Moderation in war is imbecility. Hit first! Hit hard! Hit anywhere!!”
- Lord of the British Admiralty Sir Jackie Fisher, early 1900s

Conversely, policies like “gradualism” and “proportionate” response are idiotic, because while they inflict pain on the enemy’s population, they don’t result in the necessary crushing defeat of the totalitarians – so that population never has sufficient reason or a realistic opportunity to overthrow their oppressors, and every reason to stay angry at us. This is what happened to us in Vietnam with our “gradualism” strategy, sand what just happened to the Isralis with their “proportional” response to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

What’s truly pathetic about the present situation is that the Brits should know the truth of the above, because they’ve already successfully demonstrated it in the Falklands conflict not so long ago: An unpopular Argentine oligarchy, already tottering over its failed social and economic policies, embarked on a strategy of foreign provocation and militaristic adventurism to deflect the people’s attention away from themselves. When the Brits responded forcefully, initially the Argentine people rallied behind the oligarchy, but when humiliating defeat soon followed that support quickly turned to intense anger at their own government and that government fell soon afterward.

The Brits seem to have forgotten their own history – while there are still many people alive who made that history, including the Iron Lady herself. Worse, they seem to be denying the lessons of that history, and to be substituting failed policies like appeasement instead (which is also highly disturbing, because there are still Brits alive today who can attest to how well that worked out in the 1930s).

Not encouraging.

“You were given the choice between war and appeasement. You chose appeasement, and you shall have war.”
- Winston Churchill, 1930s

Anyway, sorry for the long post, but this really bugs me to see happening.

Iran is the new superpower and they are announcing it to the world! Get over it!

/sarcasm mode off

I also believe that the government has taken a hit with their citizenry for their involvement in providing EFP’s into Iraq, and by extension, getting their country in more hot water with the USA. IF we bomb Iran, then Iranians now will have the absolute moral authority to continue to be involved in Iraq and their citizens are behind them 100%. Again, culturally, will Persians respond that way?

But then again, bombing them into submission is a viable option, and I do know that culturally they respond to those whom are the strongest.

…and as you stumble off to bed in your stupor I leave you with this final question:

Whatever happened to “name, rank, and serial number” … AND NOTHING MORE?

No I ain’t Stockdale…..Neither are you.

If any of these marines and bluejackets did something wrong I will be the first one to condemn them….but until they get back and we KNOW the other side I ain’t going there.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21472351-601,00.html

Maybe they are resisting….are the mullahs gonna tell you that? Maybe when she wrote the letter one of her shipmates was on the otherside of the camera with a scimitar up his arse. Maybe a Iranian stooge showed her a photo of her kid going to day care THIS MORNING. Maybe she just broke. Until the whole thing comes out, to call these prople cowards, is frigging BS.

Too Late!
What difference does it make where the British sailors were when they were picked up? They should have already been rescued in my opinion. The fact that there has not even been an attempt is kind of embarrassing.

kahall on March 29, 2007 at 8:10 PM

kahall, I just want to clarify for anyone just reading your excerpt of my comment, that it was total sarcasm

RightWinged on March 29, 2007 at 3:43 PM:
No need to get too worked up about this whole situation now if the UN is going to get involved.

Was actually:

No need to get too worked up about this whole situation now if the UN is going to get involved.

This is the UN’s promise to you – If in 12 years, and after about 17 resolutions, Iran is still not cooperating, the United Nations will give Iran a very strong “or else!” coupled with another resolution.

RightWinged on March 29, 2007 at 3:43 PM

I doubt anyone got confused, but I hate the UN and I want to make that absolutely clear.

RightWinged on March 29, 2007 at 3:43 PM:
No need to get too worked up about this whole situation now if the UN is going to get involved.

Too Late!
What difference does it make where the British sailors were when they were picked up? They should have already been rescued in my opinion. The fact that there has not even been an attempt is kind of embarrassing.

I think there are two very simple steps that should be taken. The first is to use a covert operation or a special forces operation to knock out the only gasoline producing refinery in Iran. There’s only one. And the second is to simply intercede by naval force, and block any tankers from bringing gasoline to Iran… I would right now say to them privately, within the next week, your refinery will no longer work. And within the following week, there will be no tankers arriving. Now if you would like to avoid being humiliated publicly, we recommend you calmly and quietly give them back now. But frankly, if you’d prefer to show the planet that you’re tiny and we’re not, we’re prepared to simply cut off your economy, and allow you to go back to walking and using oxen to pull carts, because you will have no gasoline left.

Newt Gingrich

Let me say it again:
12 or 13 .50 cal bullets and 1 smart bomb/cruise missle for iran.

But Amnesty International’s webpage is not updating for some reason. Denounces Guantanamo Bay and the military tribunals, but their plea for the safe release of the British sailors and marines isn’t showing for some reason. Is it b/c I am running an old version of IE? /sarc

verum serum llink is broke.

Was working for me.

Riehl World View

New video shown on Iranian TV. Hot Air has several additional links. Iran released a letter from the female hostage calling for withdrawal from Iraq. I wonder if Pelosi and Murtha helped them write it?

See the Hot Air link for bits f…

Its like the double think on Intelligence… we get somthing juicy and actionable, but then don’t use it because we’re afraid we might not get somthing more juicy later… theres a point where you paralyze yourself… I think we are there now… and THEY see it.

Romeo13 on March 29, 2007 at 3:25 PM

Sometimes referred to as “paralysis by analysis”. And the longer nothing happens–by which I mean, nothing decisive–the more Iran benefits from the situation. This is yet another example of “The only thing worse than looking weak is being weak.”

Heard this on Hannity and there is a post over at Powerline talking about Pelosi has blocked for a week a resoulution condemming Iran and supporting the British from coming to the floor for a vote.

LakeRuins on March 29, 2007 at 4:15 PM

That Pelousi would refuse to let the House support our closest allies, who were supporting us in Iraq when their people were taken hostage, is just unbelievable. It’s not even a controversial statement. But then her natural instinct as a liberal is to side with the enemies of America.

New video shown on Ianrian TV. HotAir has several additional links. Iran released a letter from the female hostage calling for withdrawal from Iraq. I wonder if Pelosi and Murtha helped them write it? See the Hot Air link for…