A modest proposal

Submitted by Jon - a brit in Euroland (France), Jun 16, 2006 at 09:42

If the issue is along the lines of how to (a) demonstrate in an unambiguous way US support for Israel, and (b) reduce the danger of casualties of a major war in the Middle East, we should probably be focusing on the danger of a war with/against Iran.

The Islamo-fascists Government of Iran thinks that the US and obviously all other nations will back down. It is (probably) scared of Israel, but thinks that Israel will hesitate a very long time before using the nuclear weapons it would need to wipe out the 100 or so hardened underground Iranian nuclear facilities.

A solution is congruent to your comments on the purely symbolic movement of the US embassy to Jerusalem : a congressionally approved US/Israeli decision on a lend/lease arrangement including a "wet lease" (with volunteer crews (who would not volunteer!), and weapon systems) of the entire US BI/B2 fleet and 50 or so F117s, and a couple of hundred cruise missiles.

This will make an immediate Israeli "conventional" attack credible (just as soon as the paint on the missiles was dry), and will, perhaps if we are lucky, and the Iranians retain some sanity, obviate the requirement to go through with it.

Of course eliminating the Iran threat through a credible potential of immediate attack could also encourage Iranian opposition, and therefore the highly desirable regime change.

The Israeli government could perhaps, as payment, put its strategic deterrent (anything beyond 50 kilotons) under a US/Israeli 2 key system, which will make it less of an issue, and determine a route for future global arms control.

On the other side of the Palestine issue, who truly gives a hoot ? Once the coming civil war is over the surviving war lords will inevitably negotiate, to get access to food and water, and their Swiss bank accounts.

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