Israel and Iran

As we move into the fall a number of big stories loom on the horizon - swine flu, a new banking crisis, and possibly most important of all : Iran.

Obama will have to come to grips with Iran sooner rather than later. His impulses toward Iran have been confused. We saw this demonstrated after the Iranian election.

However, Israel is not confused about Iran. It has a history of taking matters into its own hands.

From the LA Times:
Iran has until late September to respond to the latest international proposal aimed at stopping the Islamic Republic from developing a nuclear weapon...But if diplomacy fails, the world should be prepared for an Israeli attack on Iran's suspected nuclear weapons facilities...If Israel attempts such a high-risk and destabilizing strike against Iran, President Obama will probably learn of the operation from CNN rather than the CIA.

The danger here is enormous. Yet, if Iran ignores the September deadline, Israel may see little reason for restraint. Many Americans will loudly applaud an attack while Arab nations loudly deplore it. (While quietly expressing relief.)