Submitted by Scott Baker, Jul 31, 2008 15:01

I never agreed with the current Israel administration's policy of "peace at all costs." Any alleged peace with its enemies always costs Israel territory (including the give back of the Sinai to Egypt), which is then used to launch attacks against Israel — usually by so-called independent agents. What's the point of that? I also don't think war with Iran is the answer. Bush continues his relentless march to war, at any cost. Now that he's checked off his to-do list "Talk to Iran," he'll continue pressuring the rest of the world for sanctions. This will continue to get us precisely nowhere, as China will continue to buy Iranian oil, and Russia will continue "doing business" with Iran, i.e. selling them weapons to use against Israel. Then, after election day, when all this chest-thumping all but ensures an Obama victory, Bush will act the spoilsport and either give the green light to Israel to bomb, or make some sort of cross-border incursion into Iran in the name of defending Iraq that will virtually guarantee an Iranian military counter-response, and then it's off to a full middle east war and $200+ oil. Sanctions won't work — unless the world is willing to stop buying Iranian oil, and stop shipping them refined gasoline. Nothing else matters much at this point. Here's another way: 1. Acknowledge, as even Dick Cheney did in his unguarded moments, that Iran has the right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes under the NNPT they signed. Of course, we need much better inspection capability and that really is a basis for negotiations. 2. Make a formal declaration that we will respond with full military force if Iran attacks Israel — i.e. we will "wipe Iran off the map." If it comes to that, I think even the arabs will not blame us for destroying such a dangerous neighbor. Iran should know that Israel is a finger on the same hand as America and if they cut that finger, the rest of the hand will smash them. 3. Continue to assist Israel in every security measure they need, and make it publicly known we are doing so. 4. Investigate and encourage Iran to develop alternative nuclear power producing methods that do not produce plutonium, such as pebble bed reactors. We have to keep up with the latest technology, especially when it can lead to a more peaceful world. This technology is proven, more efficient, and less dangerous to operate and doesn't produce plutonium which can be used in nuclear weapons. We might even offer to help Iran develop this relatively new form of nuclear power, though it's been successfully used in Germany for 20 years and the Chinese (again) are leading the way in building such reactors as well. Yes, this is bold and outside-the-box, but then, we have been boxed in for too long by tired solutions.

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