We are 3 minutes into the first quarter, and are winning 6:0

Submitted by Michael SUS Centcom commander proposes striking Iran's regime, military forces DEBKAfile March 30, 2017, 3:12 PM (IDT) Gen. Joseph Votel, head of the US military's Central Command, stated Wednesday during testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committ, Apr 1, 2017 at 02:07

"...the only substantive sign that I see is Nikki Haley. Everything else is a possibility, or a prospect, or a process..."

That sums up what you said. In football terms, our team is ahead by one score (Nikki Haley); and we are less than three minutes into the first quarter. The rest is yardage gained and yardage lost, but no points involved.

I am grateful, that you are actually discussing something happening outside of the DC beltway, wherein ALL US media coverage seems to be obsessed. Even so, we are, by necessity, dealing more with speculation than with substance. Concerning Iran, we have,

"US Centcom commander proposes striking Iran's regime, military forces
DEBKAfile March 30, 2017, 3:12 PM (IDT)

"Gen. Joseph Votel, head of the US military's Central Command, stated Wednesday during testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee that Iran is not only destabilizing the Middle East but also posing one of the greatest threats to the US in the world. "We need to look at opportunities where we can disrupt (Iran) through military means", he said, adding that there were more than 300 instances in 2016 alone in which Iran harassed US and other ships in international waters near its shores. However, he emphasized that "Our concern is not with the people of Iran, it is with their revolutionary government.""

I question whether Iran is the biggest threat to the US. What are the biggest threats?

1. North Korea has the potential to drag us into a war with it and with China; and they supply Iran with nuclear test data. Iran poses a nuclear proliferation danger to us, but N. Korea does even more. Their leader is a mad hatter, who may very well press the nuclear button as soon as he gets reliable weapons. In this respect, he is more dangerous than the Sunni terrorists.

2. Al Qaeda, and its daughter group, ISIS. They gave us 9/11, and have websites instructing US Jihadi wannabees how to kill Americans. The Iranians have nothing of the sort. Besides AQ and ISIS, there is a whole web of Sunni groups and governments, some of them US allies, who work in convert with one another.

3. Russia. Iran has been harrassing US shipping in the Straits of Hormuz. This puts them on a par with Russia, which has harrassed US allies in Europe. On the other hand, Russia has shown a willingness to work out its differences and avoid conflicts. Iran has been less willing. Another very impoertant threat that Russia poses, is that while Iran THREATENS to one day become a nuclear power, Russia already IS one. To their credit, they have been such for 68 years yet have shown restraint.

4. China is a pain in the neck, with its hegemonic and expansionist activity in the Philippine and East China Seas; but they do not have the reach that Russia has.

5. Mexico is the conduit for the vast majority of drugs into this country; and trafficing of all sorts across their border with us is a major security risk.

6. Canada has an idiot for a leader, and they share a 5,500 mile border with us (vs. 2,000 for Mexico). It's like having no skin on 34% of our body.

7. The MSM and the Democrats threaten to tear our country apart. They are a serious danger; and their repeated leaks of secret information make them a national security concern. Some Republicans are also dangerous, in this regard.

From an Israeli point of view, Hizbullah and the Iran nuclear threat combined are probably on or near the top of the list.

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