Over the noise of the noxious comments by Rush Limbaugh, and the inane race between these Republican hopefuls, it was refreshing to hear Barack Obama speak today. It was a clever bit of stage business in the theater of politics, schedule your first news conference the day of the Republican "Super Tuesday." Obama offered harsh comments about Republican saber rattling over Iran, slightly shaking my belief that we are headed down an inevitable path of war. Republicans have blasted Obama, calling him a Chamberlain-like appeaser and each trying to outflank each other to the right in calling for a war, with the notable exception of Ron Paul. In a recent fundraiser Obama answered a protester, who shouted "No war with Iran," that "no war had been declared yet." Contradictorily, yesterday Obama told Israel "he had their back."
Obama is under immense political pressure and, perhaps, that may be part of Israel's strategy. The Israel lobby is amongst the most powerful in Washington, and protecting Israel seems to be a cause that is popular throughout America, particularly in political circles. Israel may be trying to force Obama into a hard decision with reelection hanging over his head. Obama is unpopular in Israel, and the increasingly tough rhetoric puts him in situation in which he's probably going to alienate some segment of his supporters, regardless of the decision he makes.
As I've expressed before, a War in Iran would be a catastrophe. I don't believe that Iran wants to commit national suicide, which is what an attack on Israel or the U.S. would be. How the Republicans seem to think that another war is what America needs, while they are apoplectic about the debt, seems antithetical to me. There's no money for rebuilding America, for providing vital services, but there's seemingly an unending warchest for plunging America into unnecessary wars.
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