The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Iran

Paul got schooled, more fairly than unfairly. He had the right answer to the wrong question. Romney's assessment is not incorrect. But Rudy's assessment, that speedboat brinkmanship means bomb Iran before they get a nuke, relies on poor logic. Lost entirely in this debate is the fact that Iran is riddled with internal power fissures itself. This is not quite a black-box, billiard-ball state we're dealing with. Doesn't mean it's not dangerous. Does mean it's not the devil. Let's all remember we can, and should, shoot aggressive little vessels out of the water without starting a war. American military force should be decisive but nimble, not an on/off switch -- not, Bond fans, a blunt instrument.

topics:
Military, Iran

About the Author

James Poulos is a doctoral student at Georgetown and the former Political Editor of Culture11. His writing has been published by The American Conservative, The National Interest, The New Atlantis, Partnership for a Secure America, and The Weekly Standard. In addition to AmSpecBlog, he has blogged at The American Scene, Doublethink, and Postmodern Conservative, which he founded. With degrees in political science and law from Duke and USC, he is currently at work on a dissertation about life after Napoleon. In his spare time he anti-blogs at Pish Tosh.