U.S. vs. Iranian Unilateralism

What those advocating half-measures, pass-the-buckism, vague notions of 'containment' or 'deterrence', outright appeasement, and/or spinelessly indefinite patience on Iran miss is... what our enemies actually say... and do. (Other than that, they're as tame as Captain Kangaroo and Mister Rogers--riight). Here's Iranian government spokesman, Gholam-Hossein Elham at a rally today in Iran:

"The U.S. loses all opportunities to cooperate with regional and other world states by trying to support a regime (the Zionist regime [i.e., Israel]) which is now at its weakest political and social position... Supporters of the Zionist regime will definitely receive the final response for their support on [Qods*] day."

*Qods Day occurs on October 12th this year (annually, on the last Friday of Ramadan).

Aside from the increasing specificity of such threats, the statement is remarkable for its stark unilateralism. When the U.S. says: "We will not deal with Country X if they deal with Country Y", the administration gets lambasted for 'unilateralism'. When Iran does it, well... they're just being Iran. Unfortunately, a frighteningly large number in the West secretly empathize with their position out of a misplaced sense of "justice" for the Palestinians and a nebulously soft-core anti-Semitism they'd never ever admit to. Elham is only mimicking what some in the West are already saying (without having the guts to come right out and say it). As I wrote yesterday:

[Retired General Abizaid is] vague in talking about how we could "live with" a nuclear Iran because, if he were clear about it, he would be shot down immediately. The way to "live with" a nuclear Iran is to cede Israel... Sacrificing a peace-seeking, stable, prosperous, long-time, democratic ally that shares our Judeo-Christian world view and values is not only morally sickening but ultimately short-sighted in the sense that Dietrich Bonhoffer meant it in his famous treatise on the Nazis coming first for one group, then the next and the next and the next.

When I say we ought to listen to our enemies, I don't mean just some random, wacko-fringe quote from some super-hard-line radical mullah taken out of context, but a relentlessly clear and consistent message from the Iranian regime, of which the Elham bit is merely the latest example: they plan to destroy the state of Israel; they plan to do it as soon as they can; they are sparing no expense in gearing up for said adventure; and they want to get full credit for it.

I really hope I don't have to say "I told you so".

UPDATE: If Hitler had visited New York in 1939, would we have given him the red carpet?