Posted by
Andrews on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 2:49:24 PM
Many months ago I
wrote about the NIE that claimed Iran's nuclear program was intended for only peaceful purposes. Then I pointed out that Iran, even if they lack oil refining capacity, does sit on the world's
second largest reserves of natural gas. I also pointed out building oil refineries is cheaper than building a nuclear program from scratch. Even more telling,
the same people drew up an NIE a few years before that was just as certain Iran's program was intended for military use. And finally, I argued that the difference between a peaceful and military nuclear program is minimal, as the ability to enrich uranium is key to both, and can easily be shifted from "peaceful" to "warlike" in a moment with very little additional work.
Now that Iran has made a space launch, thus showing they have the capacity to build at least some type of ICBM, does anyone think that they have no nuclear ambitions? Were it not for the left's ardent desire
to whitewash Iran in order to
tar Bush as a senseless warmonger, the same way they have used
dubious claims about a lack of WMDs, would anyone doubt that a sudden crash nuclear program by a nation without a lack of natural sources of energy, followed quickly by a space program which seems to have no civilian purpose is intent on joining the nuclear club?
I know the left despises Israel, wants to think
we can talk our
enemies into loving us, and are convinced
cutting Israel adrift will leave us beloved by Moslems everywhere, but there is a point at which even they must see the belligerent talk of Ahmadinejad, coupled with the ability to deliver a warhead to a large part, if not all, of the world, is clearly a threat to us and one which must be addressed. Right?
POSTSCRIPT
An interesting take on why the left may not face facts, or at least might not so long as they think they can get mileage out of Republican "failures" can be found in my post "
Not Unique".