1- yes Bush when he failed in iraq and failed in letting all ethnic groups reconsile , he wants to let others distract from his failed policy in iraq, so wants to start another war inorder people will forget his faults and start thinking of the comming war against iran.

2- The same when he launched a war against afganishtan then also failed, then launched against iraq, then now want iran, then who knows when syria and other countries,and please note that all those countries are muslims, so who is threathen who? so why the fear of islamphobia as muslims now dont starts wars, but defend themselves, and now really are being killed then be quite and say that is our destiny from God, i think now we have to be frieghtened from christianity which Bush hold it and he revealed and utter it by mouth and then he said it was toungh fault, i dont think so, when we see all wars against us, and till now backing and supporting israel, how can a lay muslim person understand what is going on? or can the west explain for them what is going on to belive in human rights and justice in the world which frankly before all lay arab and muslims people admire the democracy and humanbeing their, but now we realize that it is only applied to their countries and dont want it for us, as becasue that our relegion is different, i hope not, but it is the way of thinking of lay  arab and muslims persons

englishman

1- We got used as wars would not be really stat when Bush threaten this muslim country or another , it would take time yes, but at the last what they have in their plan , would apply it and for may be still long time, but it seems they prepare for war sooner or later which of course no one wants it, but as all wars , no body wants them and they occur How ? no body know? Bush said and i heard that may be jesus (pbuh) told him to do or according to dream he thinks he has to invade iraq . May be also he dreams also to launch a war against iran, who knows.

2- American policy can increase their troops at anytime they want, but that is not the real matter, they want the whole world to think that the failure of their policy in iraq is becasue of iran and so they have to launch war against it to succeed in iraq, always try to solve problems what they already made by creating another fatal problems. who care ? since the another country is a muslim country !!!!.

As the greatest military power in history, with the means to destroy the world, it goes without saying that America is a threat to Iran and to all of us.

[quote]To me they are both equally stupid, although only one of them has committed a crime we know of...[/quote]

 You're right.  The Iranian funding of insurgency in Iraq is an outrageous crime.

This has been a consistent issue of "will" and "capability". Iran's already expressed the will and seeks the capability.  Because he does not yet have it does not make him less than a potential threat.   Don't think so?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2006/04/16/do1609.xml

[quote]Ahmadinejad has also reactivated Iran's network of Shia organisations in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Yemen, while resuming contact with Sunni fundamentalist groups in Turkey, Egypt, Algeria and Morocco. From childhood, Shia boys are told to cultivate two qualities. The first is entezar, the capacity patiently to wait for the Imam to return. The second is taajil, the actions needed to hasten the return. For the Imam's return will coincide with an apocalyptic battle between the forces of evil and righteousness, with evil ultimately routed. If the infidel loses its nuclear advantage, it could be worn down in a long, low-intensity war at the end of which surrender to Islam would appear the least bad of options. And that could be a signal for the Imam to reappear.

At the same time, not to forget the task of hastening the Mahdi's second coming, Ahamdinejad will pursue his provocations. On Monday, he was as candid as ever: "To those who are angry with us, we have one thing to say: be angry until you die of anger!"

His adviser, Hassan Abassi, is rather more eloquent. "The Americans are impatient," he says, "at the first sight of a setback, they run away. We, however, know how to be patient. We have been weaving carpets for thousands of years." [/quote]

Amadinawackjob HAS the will. He needs and will gain the means.  And if you think the US is a bigger threat, you're deluded.

abdulksaida,

Thank you for your thoughful responses.  We are incredibly fortunate to have your perspective give personal balance to these discussions.

I chose Ferrari because it represents an extreme capability among cars, just as nuclear weapons represents extreme capability among weapons.  Any tool can be used for good or evil depending on the will of the person who weilds it.   I regret the innocent and guilty Japanese who died in nuclear attacks, but far more Japanese and allies would have died during a conventional invasion, especially among a culture that embraced death as preferable to the dishonor of defeat.  So yes, as terrible as nuclear weapons are, they saved lives.

Nuclear weapons have terrible consequences and the fact that both sides knew that, prevented war between the east and west for 50 years.  You trust Iran wants nuclear weapons to deter attacks. I do not.  I take the Iranian President at his word when he embraces Armageddon as the fufillment of his religious beliefs.  That makes him dangerous to the entire world.  Perhaps that is a cultural difference between us.  When people tell me they want me dead because I do not believe like them, I believe them and defend myself.

You asked what I believe about the promised land.  I believe both Israelis and Palestinians have a historical, cultural, and legal claim to the "promised land."  I believe both have a right to exist and deserve respect.  While Palestine has always been a geographic and cultural region--not a country, I do believe they are entitled an autonomous state and that is the only way peace will be achieved. 

I believe that neither Hamas nor Fatah has the Palestinian interests at heart; both are power brokers using the people as pawns and polute the minds of children to hate what they do not understand.  I believe it is pointless to debate who is more "wrong' in the dispute because it will never lead to a solution.  I believe the focus should be how to create peace for both sides.

I don't think you'd recognize a smoking gun if it was protruding from your left nostril.  The evidence of Iranian complicity is overwhelming.  The only real question is if the Iranian government is ACTIVELY funding it, or if proxies within the government are funding it outside Iranian government control.  Either way, it says something about the Iranian government incompetence. 

Dragging out the WMD red herrring again?  Stop wasting our time.

 Tell you what--you show me some real unbiased journalists and maybe I will consider them.  Salon?  Yeah--right!

Brendan,

What I find fascinating is you swallow the WMD red herring whole, but find Aminawhackjob not credible.  His own words establish his "will" and the thousands of centrifuges will provide the "means."   Sounds to me like you have a severely untreated case of BDS. (Bush Derangement Syndrome).