Yeah.

I think he speaks against the regime nowadays in Europe.

I'm just surprised he hasn't been assassinated by the regime.

And I'm curious what will happen when Khamenei dies from the cancer that he carries.

Back in the 1980's, perhaps some people in the West would have had some concerns if the Soviet Union invaded Iran...but I doubt they would have had very serious concerns.

And if Russia were to invade Iran today, I'd say "No problem, it's yours...just as long as Iran eventually becomes a true democracy and an independent country."

LOL. How true.

I think our military is gonna go gonzo on Iran soon.

God, I hope not.

We can ill afford another war right now.

Yeah, sure we are. As if we are waiting to see the sun rise in the west soon. Which is something we won't see. It would be like committing suicide.

I'm rational. You are rational. Not so much Bush.

The thing is, I doubt that containment of Iran would work long-term...at least not under the framework of a nuclear-capable Iran.

They have aspirations of becoming a major power in the region...for the better or worse of their neighbors.

And, even if they don't actually possess nuclear weapons, just the thought that they might possess nuclear weapons gives rise to much unease in the region since they have had their hands on much instability in the region.

And Israel and many Arab countries in the region will very likely take steps whereby a new cold war takes place in the future.

And I doubt that any Persian Gulf cold war would remain cold.

But, the Israelis could just as well attack Iran's nuclear facilities because they might calculate that a non-nuclear retaliation by Iran would be a better option for them to deal with than an Iran who might have nuclear weapons that could be used at a later date...or used as a political weapon from here on.

We all remember Israel's attack on Iraq's nuclear facility.