Iran and the atomic bomb.
We invented the atomic bomb. As soon as we had it we dropped it on Hiroshima. A few days later we dropped another one on Nagasaki. Shortly after that the British and then the French sucked it out of us. Then Russian got their own. Some time later South Africa cranked out a few, but then thought twice about it and scraped their madness. China looked around and decided they needed one too, so they got a bunch. India and Pakistan shook in their sandals, looked at each other and shook some more, and developed their own. In the meanwhile, Israel with the memory of the Holocaust still fresh got some too. Needless to say the USA and Russia could have prevented India, Pakistan, and Israel from getting nuclear weapons. We probably helped Israel get its first atomic bomb. Now along comes the axis of evil. North Korea has some; Iraq fumbled around, but Israel blew up the reactor they were going to use to get their fissile material, and not withstanding the Bush administration lie told years later that Iraq had WMD (nuclear weapons), Iraq had no bomb; Iran is now going for the bomb. As soon as they get enough fissile material, they will have an atomic bomb. What then? Probably nothing. That is why they want one. If you got some, you may not qualify for the MAD club with the USA, Russia, and probably China; but having the ability to kill five million or so of your potential enemy is enough to keep him at bay. So who in the nuclear weapons club is so worried that they would be willing to go to all out war, including using nuclear weapons to prevent Iran from getting the nuclear bomb? Israel – because they think Iran would try to destroy them once Iran gets an operational nuclear capability. But Israel will do everything in its power to get the USA to take any and all actions against Iran to prevent them from getting the atomic bomb. If the USA refuses to do Israel’s bidding, then I believe they will attack Iran’s nuclear bomb building nuclear facilities with nuclear weapons. What would happen then, probably nothing? But what about unintended consequences? Your guess is good as anybody. Iran is hell bent on getting nuclear weapons. Israel is hell bent on preventing this. What to do? We cannot turn the clock back. The USA and Russia failed to act peacefully when China bulled their way into the MAD club. Now the handwriting was hanging from the Great China Wall. The three blind mice could not, would not, read it. What did it say – simple, the world cannot live with nuclear weapons proliferation. There is only one answer, the nuclear club members must rid themselves of all their nuclear weapons and enforce a worldwide ban on any and all future nuclear weapons. Pie in the sky, no, there is no pie in the sky, but nuclear weapons proliferation is providing the stuff to destroy enough of us, that if we had it to do over, we would have mutually accepted nuclear weapons disarmament.

Bin Laden’s latest TV broadcast has him suggesting that a truce might be possible between al-Qaida and the USA. President Bush rejects this totally with calls the terrorist murders will be brought to justice and we will never give up or ever negotiate with terrorists. I believe this is a mistake. I think we should sit down with al-Qaida and talk. Let’s find out what they want and what they are willing to negotiate. Let the American public hear it from Bin Laden himself. This is not one of those foolish, what would Jesus do suggestions. Real politics asks that one know his enemy. Certainly talking with your enemy will help to know that enemy. We have nothing to loose. I doubt we have anything to gain, except I think it prudent we open and keep open a channel of communication. If months or even years from now, you find yourself or one of yours being killed in another al-Qaida 9/11 type attack, you might be disappointed if our country failed to do everything possible to end this conflict.