`I won't be "stunned" by an Iranian nuclear test. It is expected, and in fact years overdue. Israel should launch immediately as soon as Iran conducts a nuclear test, and put the entire Iranian population to the nuclear blast. They need to set a precedent that there shall be no survivors.

If there is another war, the whole region will burn. All of the city-dwelling Iranian population will be put to the nuclear blast, and Lebanon and Syria will go down with them. Israel will be hit with whatever capability Iran, Hezbollah, and Syria have at the time, and could be destroyed. Israel might save a few nukes for the Palestinians too, and would use them if it's bombed out ruins are overrun. And depending on what revolutions and regime changes take place in Arab countries between now and then, other players might be involved, and would burn as well.

If enough of the Middle East burns, we might have peace there for the next 100 years!

Don't worry too much about US sanctions starting a war. We have no more ability to stop Iran from importing gasoline than we have the power to stop the sun from rising. The Congress can say anything it wants. Other countries like Russia and China do not care.

There is only one way Iran attacks first. And that is if Iran smells an Israeli attack coming, and decides to preempt.

I would like to get into the editors that Congressional staff use to write legislation. My, one could really have some fun in there - especially if one could change a bill before final passage that will be voted on without anyone actually reading it.

Ultimately, it is up to Israel to complete the job of conquest, or to keep the status quo and eventually be defeated. There is no reason to be excessively emotional about the Palestinians. If Israel wants the land for itself, it MUST remove its rival claimants by any means necessary, just as President Andrew Jackson removed the Cherokee in 1828, and numerous other conquerors throughout history have displaced native populations. If Israel allows the problem to fester so as not to upset liberal opinion, Israel will eventually be defeated and removed. And "eventually" may not be all that far away, either. Once Hezbollah and Hamas are backed by a nuclear weapons power, the game changes totally - Israel will forever lose the option of "Jacksonian" action. And this is the real reason why Israel is so concerned about Iranian nuclear weapons development.

Anyone who thinks that the Chinese regime will collapse of its own accord is delusional. It may have its own internal problems as all countries do. Unlike the USSR, it is a strong regime that has phenomenal economic growth to support it. They demonstrated that in Tienamen Square, 2 decades ago. The Communist Party is totally ruthless, and will do whatever is necessary to retain power. As their country advances and becomes more powerful, they are making more noise about the longstanding irritants that peeve them. Irritants like Taiwan.

And Taiwan is just an irritant, nothing more. In the near term, China is far more likely to do major military action in its own Uiguhr territory than in Taiwan. Will they take and occupy Taiwan if they percieve that they can get away with it with minimal cost? Of course they will. But Taiwan can wait. Supressing dangerous revolts in their own territory is far more important, and must be done as needed.

Any protest by Obama, Pelosi, or Reid rings as hollow as Brer Rabbit begging not to be thrown into the briar patch. With this decision, there is nothing to stop The Great Obama from putting extra TARP funds into the gov't owned companies FRE, FNM, GM, or AIG, and having those entities run ads for Democrats.

And the protests by the MSM, who are upset at losing their legal monopoly on corporate propaganda, might actually allow their parent companies to survive. Running all those extra political ads should be very profitable.

Russia would love it if we (or Israel) went to war with Iran. High oil prices are Putin's dream come true. He would be in his Treasury, counting his loot, happy as a clam.

Of course the media isn't going to have any concrete evidence as to what is going on in Iran's tunnels. Duh.. They don't have any way to look inside. To expect such proof in a news article is absurd. If there is war, Israel will just have to hit Iran's tunnels with lots of nuclear bombs, to guarantee the destruction of whatever is inside. Our own Massive Ordinance Penetrator is probably irrelevant since The Great Obama would never order an attack against Iran, now would he?

The steel wall is stupid, and easily circumvented. If you want to stop tunneling, bulldoze a 1/2 mile wide trench from the Israeli border to the sea, and let it fill with seawater. Such a moat will guarantee that no Palestinian can tunnel under it, unless he can breathe water like a fish.