“Is it even necessary to take any stand against iran? that’s the underlying question, why is iran being portrayed as a threat.”
That is the underlying question, drunkle. But the problem is regardless of whether Iran is an actual threat, to even think about a military strike would be military and economic suicide for this country. If Obama was shrewd enough to anticipate the quagmire in Iraq, then surely he should be able to anticipate the hell that Iran would unleash. I don’t think it’s pragmatic to even consider this option, and I know the majority of Americans would not support a strike.
“it’s the same position that any politician would take in matters of unknown threats. any specific objections that obama had on iraq were actually stated specifically; lack of projection, lack of reliable information, etc.”
Curiously, these same arguments could be made now with respect to Iran. We don’t have any projections or reliable information. Once again, we are speculating as to their WMD capability. There is really no practical difference between the intelligence we had about Iraq and the intelligence we have about Iran. So to take a stand against invading one country while leaving the option on the table of invading the other is inconsistent and hypocritical. My point is that Obama stands no differently from the other candidates on this very important issue, and I believe that is a major red flag. It is one of the few issues on which he has been forced to commit to a position, and his position is quite telling.
As I said in my earlier post, it is very easy to criticize policy and go against the grain when you are not in the position to vote on that policy; it is another matter entirely to stand up against perceptions of “weakness” and “fear” when you are in the position to vote and to be held accountable. Don’t forget, everyone is clobbering Hillary now for making the very decisions with respect to Iraq you say Obama is making: she was trying to be “political and pragmatic”. My point is that Hillary and Obama are cut from the same cloth in that respect; don’t expect changes from Obama that you wouldn’t get from Hillary. Be realistic in your expectations. This man is not going to lead us into a New Age of Enlightenment.
For my part, I want a candidate who will stand up and say, “Iran may be a threat, but the only way we can possibly deal with this threat is through cooperation with the international community. Let’s not repeat Iraq on a grander scale, folks.” But Obama doesn’t have the courage to do that now that his butt is on the line.
BTW, I appreciate your comments, drunkle. They are thoughtful and thought-provoking 🙂
