What To Do About Iran

Since 1980, when a religious revolution swept through Iran, we have been in a state of cold war (and sometimes hot war) with the Iranian government.

Iran has been the primary source of Islamic terrorism, supporting terrorist organizations that have targeted U.S. targets and our allies.

The Persian Iranians are predominantly Shiite, so they don’t play for the same team as Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, who are predominantly Sunni.

But the Iranian government and bin Laden’s organization have similar enemies: The United States, Israel and moderate Islamic governments.

There is a lot of talk among Democrats about how the Bush administration has a secret plan to start a war with Iran. But this war hasn’t been much of a secret. Iran and its curious form of religious extremism have been at war with us since the Shah departed Tehran.

The question isn’t about the war. It’s about the tactics.

Shall we allow the Iranians to develop nuclear weapons? Almost all the major candidates in both parties believe that is a bad idea.

Should we invade Iran if they try to develop such weapons? Almost all the major candidates in both parties believe that is a bad idea.

Should we push sanctions? That is where the Democrats are and where they will likely stay. Democrats like a good sanction, as opposed to real action to take care of problems. And the White House has been pursuing some sanctions.

On a side note, I hate sanctions. I think they tend to hurt the people and help the government. And sanctions certainly won’t stop the Iranians from building a bomb. But that is where the Democrats are.

The White House is holding out the possibility of bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities. This is probably the most likely option, if we have good intelligence. And it better be good intelligence, given what happened after we went into Iraq.

Bombing has worked in the past. The Israelis have done it in the past in Iran, and recently in Syria.

The question today is not whether we are ready to go to war with Iran. We have been at war with Iran for quite a while. Instead, the question is, How can we make certain that the Iranians don’t gain access to the kind of technology that can turn into a suitcase bomb and put Americans at great risk?

This is the kind of question that keeps the president occupied and should give the Democrats pause before they make any promises about not going to war with Iran.