DODGING THE BIG WAR, AND GETTING IT ANYWAY

Here is the latest on Iran. The BBC is reporting that the Iranians want to compromise, but on their terms. They will not stop enriching Uranium, so any deal on those terms is a non-starter with the U.S., and probably the E.U. as well (although I wouldn't be shocked if they wimped out at the last minute). Compromise talk, it seems to me, is designed to give the Russians and Chinese cover to block U.N. Security Council action. They'll say, "look, the Iranians want to negotiate...let's keep talking". This is all designed to drag the process out and give the Iranian scientists (and any foreign advisors they may have) time to perfect a nuclear weapon. Then the Iranians can detonate a device and declare themselves a member of the nuclear club. From that moment on they are immune from U.S. attack (but not Israel).

So, who is to blame for this fiasco? The Democrats, of course, are blaming George W. Bush, and they are not entirely off-base on this on. Certainly, this administration has made their share of mistakes in dealing with Iran, especially after 9/11. But they are not the only ones. I believe that both parties, and every President since Jimmy Carter, has completely fouled this thing up and led us to the fix we are in today.

So, how should they have dealt with Iran? In 1979 Iranian militants, with the clear backing of the new revolutionary government in Teheran, invaded and occupied the U.S. embassy. Under international practice and law, embassy compounds are considered part of the sovereign territory of the nation represented there. Therefore, the Iranian militants invaded U.S. territory and took American citizens hostage, just as if they had landed in Portsmouth, NH, stormed City Hall and taken the officials there hostage. If representatives of a sovereign government, with their backing, invade the territory of another sovereign government, then that is an act of war. President Carter failed in his constitutional duty to go to the Congress and ask for a declaration of war against Iran. His failure was aided and abetted by both parties in Congress, the mainstream media, and elite political opinion in the country. What about John Q. Public? Well, he was mad as hell. He wanted action. He didn't get it. Because he didn't get it, his only resort was, more than a year later, to throw out the incumbent President in a landslide, electing a man who, it was widely believed, would attack the Iranians if they didn't give our hostages back.

Ironically, this new President, didn't need to attack, as the Iranians clearly also believed they were running out of time, and they made a deal with Carter. Even more ironically, President Ronald Reagan fell into the same pattern that enervated Carter several years later. When our Marines were butchered in Lebanon in 1983, that was also an act of war. Yet, no effort was made to identify the people responsible for that outrage, and the government or governments behind them, and, therefore, no retaliation or declaration of war ensued. This pattern continued from outrage to outrage and led directly to 9/11.

Unfortunately, even after 9/11 old habits die hard. No declaration of war was requested by President Bush. No effort was made to identify any governments, other than the Taliban in Afghanistan, that actively supported Al Qaeda, because this would have led inevitably to the Saudis and some of our other "friends" in the Middle East. As in 1979 and 1983 and numerous other times thereafter, our political leads chose small, undeclared wars over a properly declared big war. While this certainly saved lives and property in the short run, it has been absolutely ruinous in the long run. Our weakness led directly to further attacks. Our inability to contemplate a final reckoning with our enemies in the world has only allowed them to multiply. Our best chance was to smash Islamist totalitarianism while it was weak, in 1979 in Iran. The Arab people of the Middle East, while continuing to complain about us concerning our support of Israel, would not have shed many tears over a bunch of nutcase Shiite Persians being put to the sword for having the temerity to attack the U.S. directly. Osama Bin Laden is right about one thing, his people admire and will follow the strongest horse, and despise the weakest.

Today, the situation is becoming untenable. Our mistakes and weakness has led not only to 9/11, but to an even more violent future. There will be a big war, and America will suffer like never before. Unlike World War II, we will not be safe from enemy attack, and we will not enjoy economic growth while the rest of the world burns. Unlike the Cold War, we will not be able to deter the big war by a madman's pact of mutual destruction, and advance our interests and deter the enemy's through a series of smaller wars. This time we face the new Nazis, ideologues who believe so deeply in their creed and destiny that they are willing to pull the trigger to bring on apocalyptic destruction, and the coming of their Mahdi.

For once, I hope I am completely wrong. But I fear I am right.