Warmed Over Cold Warrior

We all hear that Iran seeks nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. What other purpose would motivate them? Is it possible to take President Ahmadinejad of Iran at his word when he says, , according to BREITBART.COM : "The president of Iran again lashed out at Israel on Friday and said it was 'heading toward annihilation,' just days after Tehran raised fears about its nuclear activities by saying it successfully enriched uranium for the first time.

"Like it or not, the Zionist regime is heading toward annihilation," Ahmadinejad said at the opening of a conference in support of the Palestinians. "The Zionist regime is a rotten, dried tree that will be eliminated by one storm."
Ahmadinejad provoked a world outcry in October when he said Israel should be "wiped off the map."

If that's not clear - or if you don't understand his intentions towards Israel and the United States - perhaps the picture at the right will help. It comes from the October Arab conference on a World without Zionism. Note Ahmadinejad watching as the Israeli ball falls to break next to the already broken US ball. Is this image and his spoken words so hard to fathom?

This Iran regime can not be allowed to gain nuclear weapons. It may well not be easy to prevent that from happening; but it will much less painful to act now than later.

I realize that these current statements from Iran can be viewed as negotiating ploys and that our leaders and DoD may read them that way and deal with them realistically. But the real issue is how this plays with the American public and its will to fight harder and longer against a (nominally) new enemy.