Is an Israeli strike on Iran imminent?

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Fact:Iran supports/funds/arms organizations that kill Israeli citizens
Fact:Iran is working on creating nuclear weapons

How long should Israel wait before doing something to make sure those two facts don't merge?  I'll grant that the Hezzys setting off a nuke in Tel Aviv isn't likely to happen next week or even next year, but at some point those long odds aren't going to be so long.

This would be assuming that the Iranian government wants to commit suicide, and if you think that is the case, you need to make a much, much more convincing argument. Just saying they are a religious government that has vowed to wipe Israel of the face of this earth is not enough. It's quite obvious everything the government in Iran does is to assure it's own survival, which would include saber rattling with the Israelis and the US. This seemingly crazy behavior, from our perspective, is actually them ensuring their viability. It's much easier to stop protests in the street when you can get them behind hating Israel, the imperialist US or something that would cause national pride like an Iranian nuclear bomb. Any strike by the Israel or the US would be counterproductive, only help the current regime politically and will be a complete waste of money since Iran would not give away a nuclear bomb to terrorists.

As Beet pointed out, the situation is similar to India and Pakistan. Pakistan has sent over thousands of terrorists into India over the last 25 years, and will continue to do so, but I highly doubt they would ever arm them with nuclear weapons. Every government's concern is self preservation, including seemingly crazy ones like Pakistan and Iran. I don't understand the thought process of crazies in our congress like Louie Gohmert, but I do understand that whatever he is doing, it's so that he will get re-elected again.

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People are making at least a strike on Iran sound good. The only question is why I thought it as bad in the first place. I think I need to be reminded of the consequences. What could Iran do or anyone do for that matter?

So you like to give the impression that the US is an imperial power? You don't think there are consequences to that? Did you not learn anything from the war in Iraq?

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People are making at least a strike on Iran sound good. The only question is why I thought it as bad in the first place. I think I need to be reminded of the consequences. What could Iran do or anyone do for that matter?

So you like to give the impression that the US is an imperial power? You don't think there are consequences to that? Did you not learn anything from the war in Iraq?

Would pulling a 1982 be the same as pulling a 2003? I am feeling a little more hawkish because the rest of the world seems to be less in a position to actually do anything about us. If the global economy was growing and these NIC guys that are potential competitors were doing better, I would be concerned about them forming some sort of anti-US alliance...

So just because we are able to bully people we should? Again, the consequences don't always show up immediately. Our debt is bad enough as it is, wasting more money getting into these conflicts is the last thing we need. The only silver lining of attacking Iran is that they are hated by most everybody, including the Sunnis.

Morden, India and Pakistan are closer by than Iran and Israel.

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I guess this country just needs a war every 10 years, doesn't it? Ah f it.

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Fox News: Most Israelis Oppose Strike against Iran

Israel's tough talk of military action against Iran's nuclear program has unleashed a strong backlash at home, with a growing number of voices urging the government not to attack without the support of the United States.

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"I'm very afraid. I want peace, not war. I absolutely don't want Israel to strike Iran," said Pnina Grinbaum, a 55-year-old government clerk in Jerusalem.
Opinion polls have shown that while Israelis agree a nuclear-armed Iran would pose a grave threat, most think Israel should not act alone but coordinate any military option with Washington .
Israel's figurehead president, Shimon Peres, appeared to take a swipe at Barak and Netanyahu on Thursday when he told a popular news program that Israel must trust President Barack Obama's pledges to prevent Iran from getting a bomb.
"It is clear to us now that we cannot do this alone," Peres said. "It is clear to us that we need to work together with America."

"I'm very nervous about the Iranian threat and it's kind of creepy that I'm getting a gas mask right now," 25-year-old Cheryl Lieberman, a recent immigrant from New York, said Thursday as she stood in line for a mask at a Jerusalem mall.
A new poll issued Thursday said 61 percent of Israelis believe Iran should not be attacked without U.S. consent. The Dahaf Institute poll of 516 people had a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points. Other surveys have shown similar reluctance to have Israel act alone.

This alone should be cause enough not to regard a solo Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities as 'imminent'. 

Unless Obama is giving the Israelis the green flag on the down low....

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Fox News: Most Israelis Oppose Strike against Iran

Israel's tough talk of military action against Iran's nuclear program has unleashed a strong backlash at home, with a growing number of voices urging the government not to attack without the support of the United States.

...

"I'm very afraid. I want peace, not war. I absolutely don't want Israel to strike Iran," said Pnina Grinbaum, a 55-year-old government clerk in Jerusalem.
Opinion polls have shown that while Israelis agree a nuclear-armed Iran would pose a grave threat, most think Israel should not act alone but coordinate any military option with Washington .
Israel's figurehead president, Shimon Peres, appeared to take a swipe at Barak and Netanyahu on Thursday when he told a popular news program that Israel must trust President Barack Obama's pledges to prevent Iran from getting a bomb.
"It is clear to us now that we cannot do this alone," Peres said. "It is clear to us that we need to work together with America."

"I'm very nervous about the Iranian threat and it's kind of creepy that I'm getting a gas mask right now," 25-year-old Cheryl Lieberman, a recent immigrant from New York, said Thursday as she stood in line for a mask at a Jerusalem mall.
A new poll issued Thursday said 61 percent of Israelis believe Iran should not be attacked without U.S. consent. The Dahaf Institute poll of 516 people had a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points. Other surveys have shown similar reluctance to have Israel act alone.

This alone should be cause enough not to regard a solo Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities as 'imminent'. 

Unless Obama is giving the Israelis the green flag on the down low....

I doubt it is in his interest to do so before the election.

Why do you think that? There is nothing better than jingoistic fervor to get an incumbent president elected. And if you think that the fiasco in Iraq has changed how Americans think about war, think again. The media has decided it won't cover the war in Afghanistan so most people have probably forgotten that is still going on. And also consider that most Americans aren't affected by war since they have poor people to go fight for them (of course they have to pay for the wars but the ensuing budget deficit is blamed on the poor as well). And since Obama isn't really running on much, a war right now would be great for him.

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And also consider that most Americans aren't affected by war since they have poor people to go fight for them

This is one persistent myth.

Cite?

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Very interesting, I guess I'm wrong about the poor part. But it doesn't look like the 100k+ crowd is very interested is as interested in military service as those in the middle. Probably even more the case on the coasts.

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Or they know which wars are worth fighting.

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In any case, it's stil only a small portion of the population that gets affected by war, even if they are representative of the country. Congress should be mandated to raise taxes whenever they declare war. That would end a lot of these adventures.

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Well, countercyclical spending is good imho, but that would imply running surpluses in the good years.