(Washington Post) Richard Cohen - The Iranian regime commenced what amounts to mass murder soon after it came to power. It executed not only its opponents but also its critics. The mistake with Iran is the tendency to think its leadership is rational. This may not be the case. For years, virtually the first word out of any Israeli official's mouth has been Iran. Invariably, these Israelis are treated as either paranoid or duplicitous. Few in the West take Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's threats to exterminate Israel seriously. But Israelis have some experience with the irrational and its consequences, and they do not easily dismiss threats of genocide. They look to America to do something. So far they have looked in vain. It would be an incalculable mistake for the Obama administration to see the alleged Iranian plot as the reckless act of some runaway intelligence chief. The alleged Washington bomb plot does not tell you something that's limited to Iran's Quds Force; it offers an insight into the entire Iranian regime. It's too reckless to be allowed a nuclear arsenal.
2011-10-18 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive