The
left is saying that Obama’s agreement with Iran is less damaging than Bush
invading Iraq. Given their own
arguments, this can’t be true. As the
left reminds us constantly, Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction. Under
Barry the Brilliant's agreement, Iran will have nuclear weapons in at most 10
years time. A failed state in Iraq can inflict at most one World Trade Center
scale attack on the US. While that would be terrible, three thousand killed
would be dwarfed by the casualties of a successful nuclear attack on New York
City. The left seems to be arithmetic challenged in both budgetary and military
matters.
The Smartest President Ever has
maneuvered the world to the point where Israel's only option appears to be war
with Iran. Ironically, this appears to be the only option left to Saudi Arabia
as well. The Saudis and Israelis have been quietly discussing cooperation in
the last year or so.
The deal gives Iran access to $150
billion of frozen assets. To put this in perspective, Iran has about $55
billion in oil revenue per year. I don't think Iran's enemies in the region
will permit Iran to sell oil in addition to the $150 billion they will have to
spend on weapons and financing terrorism. About 90% of Iranian oil exports pass
through the Kharg Island oil terminal, which is about 16 miles offshore. It is
packed with oil storage tanks. We will know the war has started when we see a
big fire on Kharg Island which destroys the oil terminal. In the Iran Iraq war
(1980-1988), Saddam Hussein's air force knocked out Kharg Island.
The biggest problem that the
Community Organizer in Chief has created with his extended diplomacy is the
fortification of Iran's nuclear infrastructure. It's now the case that to
destroy key facilities would probably require a 30,000 pound enhanced bunker
buster bomb. Only the US Air Force has the capability to deliver this
conventional explosive bomb against Iran's current air defenses. The Saudis and
Israelis would need to use nuclear weapons. The Israelis have an estimated 150
nuclear warheads. The Saudis financed Pakistan's bomb, so they can always buy a
few if they need to.
So all of this "peaceful"
diplomacy has created a situation where war is almost inevitable. The only good
news is that it won't involve US military action right away. We will probably
have to pay some ransom to get back our troops in Iraq from Iran's control, but
that's the end of our short term involvement.