Monday, January 16, 2006

Republican Senator John McCain, a Presidential hopeful in 2008, indicated that while we must focus on diplomatic action to stop Iran’s nuclear activities, military action has to be left open as a possibility. "There's only one thing worse than the United States exercising the military option; that is a nuclear-armed Iran," he said. "The military option is the last option but cannot be taken off of the table."

This comes the same day as Iran notified the world that if the UN imposed sanctions on Iran, the strain on their energy program would affect their economy, forcing them to raise the price of oil to over $100 a barrel. Iran is the 4th largest producer of oil, and the price of a barrel of oil only recently increased to $64. "If the price of oil has to go up, then that's a consequence we would have to suffer," said McCain.

"This is the most grave situation that we have faced since the end of the Cold War, absent the whole war on terror. The Iranians showed their face when their president came to the U.N. and advocated the eradication of the state of Israel from the earth. "We must go to the U.N. now for sanctions,” McCain said on Meet the Press this week.

Democrats have been saying this now for a week, but this marks the first time a republican has come out and admitted that a military option is an option in Iran. And anyone who has read my blog before knows that I am a huge believer that a military option, basically bombing nuclear facilities in Iran, is the only option that will really work in this situation.

Stories came out this weekend that Iran has spread their nuclear program over 200-300 different sites, to thwart a bombing effort, and that some of these enrichment facilities may be located underground below populated areas. I’m not sure of the validity of this, but I do read Ahmadinejad’s rhetoric, and I know he can’t be allowed to possess a Nuclear weapon. It’s just nice to know the Republicans are coming to the same conclusion.

Posted by Scottage at 2:10 AM / | |