In a July 18,2008, statement, a Ben-Gurion University historian named Benny Morris predicted that Israel will attack Iran to take out its nuclear sites “in the next four to seven months.” His view is generally accepted by most Israelis. Remember that the generation ruling Israel now are the children and grandchildren of people who faced the holocaust — and they won’t let that happen again.
What is left unsaid is that it is in their interests to attack sooner rather than later because Iran is constantly working on hardening its sites. This, of course, begs the question, “what are they waiting for?”
The U.S. election is why.
If Barak Obama is elected, they must attack; if McCain is elected, they will hold fire to see if he can force Iran to abandon their nuclear ambitions. You see, ultimately the fate of the world may hinge on “the character thing.”
The steel of character is forged in the furnace of adversity and, regardless of what you think of the candidates and their political proclivities, one, John McCain, is a warrior who has not only faced death with courage beyond compare but holds his nation’s highest award for valor … the Medal of Honor. The other candidate, Barak Obama is not. Israel knows that, and they also know that Barak Obama is widely regarded as the most liberal senator in the U.S. Senate and is unproven at a time when they can’t take chances.
Unfortunately, many people today have forgotten the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King’s statement that people should “not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” He meant that to apply to all people — including African-Americans. There is no better litmus test between these two candidates than the realization that Israel will be staking their future and the future of the world on the character, or lack thereof, of one of these two candidates.
Do you think that I am exaggerating? Well, think about the possible scenarios. Israel goes into Iran but can’t take out the sites conventionally so they go nuclear. Pakistan’s government will fall to radicals if the only Islamic nation with nukes doesn’t respond. India can’t let radicals take over Pakistan so they may respond and China and Russia will probably jump in as well when the U.S. becomes involved (remember, they have to go in while we have a president with guts; whatever you may think of President Bush … he can make the tough decisions when he has to and the Israelis know that).
The possible scenarios go on and on but the bottom line is this; studies have shown that the firestorms from cities burning and fallout from radiation of a nuclear exchange of as few as 20 nuclear weapons between India and Pakistan alone can put the world into a nuclear winter. If nations get angry and retaliatory many more than that may fly. As Nikita Kruschev told John Kennedy on Oct. 26, 1962, during the Cuban Missle Crisis:
“We must not succumb to intoxication and petty passions, regardless of whether elections are impending in this or that country, or not impending. These are all transient things, but if indeed war should break out, then it would not be in our power to stop it, for such is the logic of war. I have participated in two wars and know that war ends when it has rolled through cities and villages, everywhere sowing death and destruction.”
I hope I’m wrong, but, when your hand hovers over the ballot card in November, I hope you’ll keep this in mind — regardless of your party affiliation.
David Meyering
