Should The U.S. Prepare Itself For War With Iran?

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran. A general view shows the nuclear power plant in Bushehr, about 1,215 km (755 miles) south of Tehran, November 30, 2009. Credit: Reuters/ISNA/Mehdi Ghasemi

Prepare For War With Iran -- In Case Israel Strikes -- Anne Applebaum, Washington Post

Let's be serious for a moment: Barack Obama will not bomb Iran. This is not because he is a liberal, or because he is a peacenik, or because he doesn't have the guts to try and "save his presidency" in this time-honored manner, as Daniel Pipes has urged and Sarah Palin said she would like him to do.

The president will not bomb Iran's nuclear installations for precisely the same reasons that George W. Bush did not bomb Iran's nuclear installations: Because we don't know exactly where they all are, because we don't know whether such a raid could stop the Iranian nuclear program for more than a few months, and because Iran's threatened response -- against Israelis and U.S. troops, via Iranian allies in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Lebanon -- isn't one we want to cope with at this moment.

Read more ....

More News On Iran

Mullen wary of attacks on Iran nukes - -Washington Times
Mullen: Strike on Iran won't be decisive -- Ynet News
Iran says any fuel swap must be on its territory -- Reuters
Iran Nuclear Offer Falls Short of World Demands -- FOX News
Iran Plans 2 New Uranium Enrichment Plants - -Voice of America
A demand from Tehran -- The Guardian

My Comment: It seems that we are repeating history. The US had an armed conflict with the Iranian Navy in 1988. But unlike today, the US was prepared for this conflict, and with superior firepower and intelligence were effective in producing a favorable outcome.

But living in today's world where asymmetrical warfare is the conflict of choice for our enemies, we appear to not be ready for any conflict or escalation of terrorist strikes against both our civilian and military targets. Hence .... we are in the vulnerable situation of being at the mercy of others and on what they may decide to do .... a perception that only invites war.