Key General: White House Briefed on Iran Target Options

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There is more than enough probable cause to greenlight efforts to stop an illicit nuclear bomb making program under a guise to build and provide nuclear energy.
Iran has been given more than 5 1/2 years to reasonably settle this problem. Yet, they have refused to do so and have wasted an enormous amount of time which could have enabled a very reasonable settlement. If they were so concerned about the security of their country, then why provoke the West into attacking Iran? Those in charge in Iran do not care about the safety and welfare of their own people - they will expose them to needless death and injury and economic losses while saving their own skin.
Amadejadein will have to face his generals after he loses the Air Force, Navy and Army to air attacks. Very brilliant to provoke the tiger (US) into attacking and what do you have left - no airplanes, no ships and a demoralized, destroyed army. Not looking too bright isn't he?
To date, I have not heard anything about secret negotiations aimed at settling outstanding issues. If we are not talking, then what are we waiting for? Bomb them back to the stone age and teach them a lesson!
Air strikes will only delay the nuclear program two to five years or even longer if critical infrastructure is successfully destroyed. It is not worth it to bring ground troops as they will be come static targets for insurgents, IED's and suicide bombers.
But do give the Iranian people a stronger incentive to throw the clowns of idiots out of office. Many Iranians despise the current regime and love Americans and their culture. Give them a chance to do something about this mess their leaders helped create due to their own stupidity. If we put ground troops, they become targets from Iranians. If we leave it up to them, then the people will amaze us.
In the end, we can discern between a peaceful nuclear program and an illicit effort to develop a nuclear device. Countries that opt not to have a nuclear device but want a nuclear energy program have no problem obtaining the nuclear infrastructure. If those countries have no problem going down that path, then why cannot Iran do the same if they want a peaceful nuclear energy program?

James of PA 3:33AM March 02, 2012

So when does the American public get to weigh in the the issue of going to war? This is not some knee jerk reaction requiring the President to take immediate action to defend American lives or interest and requiring the ultimate consent of Congress under the war powers act. This is a contemplative action wherein we will commit this country to going to was (again). Congress cannot, once again, cede this issue to the executive branch. We really need to weigh the strategic issues of our relationship with the entire Middle East and the rest of the world versus the short term temptation of slowing Iran getting a nuclear weapon. We need to weigh this keeping in mind the price we are likely to pay with the lives of our soldiers. Did we not contain the Soviet Union with their thousands of warheads poised to launch on warning? Does it make sense to go to war to prevent Iran getting a weapon when Israel had hundreds of nuclear weapons? If Israel were hit, either by Iran or their proxies, would not they retaliate overwhelmingly and destroy the Persian civilization? Does not anyone remember John Kennedy's warning to the Soviet Union during the Cuban missile crisis that a launch of a nuclear missile anywhere in our hemisphere against anyone in the hemisphere would be considered an attack against the United States, requiring the full retaliatory response against the Soviet Union? Cannot the Israelis issue a similar warning to Iran?
The war drums are getting louder just like the run up to the war with Iraq. Even though many of my fellow senior leaders in the military counseled against going to war, as we had Sadam contained with no fly zones in the north and south of Iraq, nevertheless, the civilian leadership continued to press for the war, encouraged by Israel.
The Congress of the United States of America needs to step up and exert it' s constitutional authority and decide if this nation goes to war yet again. The military will salute smartly and carry out the mission in the superb fashion that they always do but we had better take the pulse of what it will do to retention, as yet another war with many, many deployment will have a negative impact on the force. The executive cannot continue to use the force as a FedEx delivery man, expecting that all will be OK, after delivery of the package. The wives who have not seen their husbands and children who have not seen their fathers, except in brief interludes between middle east deployments, will likely have more influence than the pundits realize when they readily agree to send the force yet again to war. The world and middle east strategy going forward will be forever changed and not for the better and the US Armed Forces may be finally reduced in size enough by family actions to save Congress the job of slashing it to save money.
Stand up Congress and tell the President that you will decide when and if we go to war, that there is no immediate threat to this nation requiring another mistaken war in the M.E.

John Clinton of CA 7:01PM March 01, 2012

To stop Iran's program you use nukes to kill nukes. 5 megaton nukes will dig a 500 foot hole if used properly.
Four successive nukes on top of the other can dig a 2000 foot hole and drill to whatever depth is necessary to kill the program.
That's what Israel will end up doing with it's sub launched cruise nukes.

wowlfie of CO 10:18AM March 01, 2012

Lose lips sink ships!

WACowboy of WA 7:21PM February 29, 2012

Can't say it offends me to try to scare someone from building horrible destructive weapons. Maybe someone should have done it to us before Hiroshima etc.
Scare me? I'll scare you.
It would be nice for American people to make contact with Iranian people, some online sites encourage this. We should tell them that we don't want to bomb them [we can offer to tell our president that we don't want that], and of course they shouldn't bomb Isreal or any of our stuff over there either... most of them likely already realize it though. All cultures have outlets for non violent resolution of disagreements, so let's get to it.
Peace through strength, not peace through aggression.

John of NY 5:43PM February 29, 2012