Hmmm... if the WAPO is onboard with it, there must be something wrong with it...

Actually it is not a smart approach in any way, however with the current political climate it is the most politically expedient for the President. However talking with Iran will do absolutely nothing, they have made it more than clear that they will not talk whatsoever. They will respond to nothing but brute force. While President Bush's attempts to handle the situation in a diplomatic fashion are admirable, they are not going to produce any results in the long run. Nothing short of a military invasion will get the Iran situation under control. Bush knows that, but the Democrats and the liberal media have tied his hands behind his back.

Shoe,

You mean the Decider pays attention to anything but God's voice in his head and Rummy, seems to me you're saying he buys into all this hype about him being a bad leader, if his foreign policies were all that popular, you'de think he'd be all over iran like white on rice, the feelings of his people be-damned...sounds pretty limp-wristed and faggy for such a tought manly-man, you think he sucks his thumb too?

In my opinion, you have to deal with Iran like the big-dog they wanna be, you're gonna have a tough time making the case to China or Russia to endorse tough penalties against them, since they are technically within their right to produce nuclear technology for civilian use, if you wanna really stop them, its simple, Sign the Fisban treaty, stop building NEW weapons, and dismantle the current ones.
Its a pretty simple prospect, we have a single world body responsible for issuing fissile material for civilian purposes, that way we can all share the rewards and burdens of nuclear power, and that way we reduce the possibility of material leaking to terrorists or rogue nations, and virtually eliminate the spectre of civilization ending nuclear war...infact the only country that has signed it to thi spoint...well, was Iran

I believe it is a smart approach to Iran, politically speaking. Negotiating with Iran is a futile, pointless endeavor. However, we need to at least offer to talk with Iran before we do what must be done and bomb their nuclear facilities.

3rd eye's solution to every problem; sign over our sovereignty to a "world body" that's only interested in our well being. Who shall this world body be? The UN? The Red Cross? The AFL-CIO? The ASPCA? The IMF? SDS? PETA?
And if we apply and don't get a nuclear weapon, will you let them give us a hug? Tell the nasty bad guys to not attack us, or Israel?

Sounds a little paranoid of you Ratboy, Im sorry you have the innability to trust, but then again sociopaths do have a paranoid-dillusional streak.

The point is, we can account for the stuff we have right now, therefore its not a huge deal to keep it all in one place, if noone has any, then who are we going to be afraid of? Its verifiable, safe, and takes the monetary burden off us to hold, retool, and re-up are arsenal, plus it makes the green people happy, and perhaps they will start showering more regularly...see everyone wins

The fact of the matter is this:

You have little choice, but to use diplomacy and sanctions.

The US military is in shambles thanks to Bush and Rummy and it is absolutely strapped and under manned on your current 2 theaters. You have no more to send and are failing to meet your goals for recruiting as less and less step forward to die in this madmans little war.

You don't have the equipment that the soldiers need to fight in Iraq or Afganistan without dying

Opening up a third theater is NOT an option for you. Even if you started a draft, it would be months and months and months before you would have an army ready. If you bomb Iran and they attack the troops in Iraq, you are screwed and the troops would get massacred. They are losing ground against civilians with stones and primitive explosives. Now imagine a mass army of trained, well armed soldiers with tanks, planes joining the Iraqis against you. The old saying that the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" , so you can expect many Iraqis joing the Iranians to fight you off and drive you out.

Drop the bombs and it could be all over before you could draft and army and train them and send them over.

And that assumes that Russia and China would not back Iran, which there is a really good chance that they would do.

China is an enemy of the United States, and should be looked at as such.

axis - stick to ad hom attacks. lefties, being clueless non-vets, sound absurd when discussing the military.

fact is, the USAF could easily target, penetrate, strike, & BDA Iran's nuke facilities in an operation run from north american bases.

ground invasion is a not needed, nor wise, to cripple their capacity.

Orrin,

We all know we can bomb the crud outta them, but there are thousands of sites, you cant ever verify what, if anything you destroy besides civilians (and we wouldnt count them as real people anyways). Not to mention the opening of a Pandoras box of terrorism, consisting of affiliates and non-affiliates of the mullahs.

So you advocate blowing up a country we have precious little human-intel on, to attack thousands of "possible" sites, which thanks to the russians may be out of our bunker-busters effective depths. While all this is happening we will further isolate ourselves from the rest of the world, all the while still killing and maiming innocent men, women and children, because of something they MIGHT be doing, sounds pretty scary.

Sure you could bomb, except you dont even have the intelligence to tell you where to drop them, somewhat do to the fact that Dubya outted Plame and the undercover contractor that was checking up on their nuclear ambitions. Raisen brain blew the only chance you had to get back for Wilson discrediting his Iraqi lies.

So, you start boming and then what? You honestly believe Irans going to sit back and do nothing? No, they are going to attack the US troops in Iraq, the closest americans to them.

So you gonna fight them off as well in addition to the insurgents?

great plan.

axis - stick to ad hom attacks. lefties, being clueless non-vets, sound absurd when discussing the military.

fact is, the USAF could easily target, penetrate, strike, & BDA Iran's nuke facilities in an operation run from north american bases.

ground invasion is a not needed, nor wise, to cripple their capacity.