Originally posted by: MadRat
I don't understand how Iran is the "axis of evil". Quite frankly the people of Iran are warmer to the U.S. than to the vocal fundementalists that cower within their border. Most Iranians are not diehard supporters of anything remotely akin to fundementalism, and even before the Shah was deposed a large sliver of the population considered themselves agnostic. Its probably the most westernized country in the Middle East and having them as strategic allies would be a thorn for both Russia and China.
President Bush wants us to believe that Osama is hiding out in Afghanistan because of indirect support from either Iran or Pakistan. Quite frankly the type of Muslim attracted by Osama worship is quite repulsive to the Shiite Muslim found strewn throughout Iran to Jordan. Osama is as good as dead in the presence of the Iranian Shiite leaders, far from supported like its popularly described. The press reports regularly how Iranian religious leaders issue all these psuedo-fatwas upon former Iranians and other so-called 'apostates' and 'infidels'. The truth is its very forbidden for these people to carry out any of their threats, its just not a crime over there to make the threats. Its their culture. In some ways people in America say 'we're going to kill you' all the time to each other in popular slang and nobody makes a big deal about it. Okay, they are more likely to act on their statements, but it is similar nonetheless.
The U.S. cannot strike Iran without ruining their own welcome in Iraq. What people are largely missing in their news coverage about Iraq is that the U.S. has largely staged the battles with insurgents to keep the people involved. Falluja wasn't anything like reported on television, but it was hostile and there was fighting. The truth is that the U.S. knew full well who they'd be killing there, and so the battle took place under tight constraints. When the U.S. has reached their goals then the action there was immediately ended. There are alot of blogs out there with the details of what really happened. Its sad, too, because so many Iraqis got their heads blown off thinking they actually had a chance to fight.