The Council has spoken, the votes have been cast, and the results are in for this week, carved eternally in the akashic records of cyberspace.
The escalating situation with Iran and its quest for nuclear weapons has been festering for some time, and it got a major boost this week due to a number of factors, even to the extent of producing various reports on rumors in the air of impending pre-emptive strikes. This week's winner, Joshuapundit's War Drums On Iran? attempted to analyze what's going on now and might be going on the future. Here's a slice:
The Iranians appear to have mostly overcome the damage to their nuclear weapons program caused by stuxnet and other sabotage, including some deliberate slow ups by the Russians building these facilities in order to jack the costs up and get more money out of the Mullahs for their new toys.
The November IAEA report, due out in a matter of days is pretty clear that the Iranians are proceeding apace in their race to nuclear weapons. The current sanctions haven't deterred them one bit. It also details how the Iranians got considerable technical help from the Russians, North Koreans, and the Infamous A.Q. Kahn of Pakistan.
My sources also tell me that the IAEA report clearly states for the first time that a number of the facilities, processes and materials Iran is working with have no possible peaceful applications. That's something you knew well over three years ago if you were reading this site.
The biggest problem is the ongoing dispersal,protection and concealment of Iran's nuclear facilities and stockpiles of material. The most liberal estimates are that in another 12 months or so, getting to them to take them out without massive damage and civilian casualties is going to be close to impossible.
The Israelis understand this very well.What they are essentially saying to the Obama Administration is that time is running out, and if you don't do something about this we certainly will.
The Israelis don't particularly need NATO's assistance( although it would certainly be helpful) , or even the Jericho 3. Israel's drones, pilots and nuclear subs can already get close enough to Iran to hit whatever they need to hit, and an Israeli raid on Iran would almost certainly be accompanied by the Saudis turning a blind eye to Israel flying over their territory for the purpose.
The indications are that the Israelis are fully capable of doing this themselves provided they're ruthless enough to do what it takes to make a thorough job of it. It would probably take multiple strikes, and Israel's inherent limitations would undoubtedly make things messy and might even involve tactical nukes, but the Iranian nuclear program could be crippled for some time.
That, however is not at all what the Obama Administration wants. This president doesn't want to have to choose between alienating all those new Islamist regimes he's so fond of by supporting Israel in a strike on a Muslim country, or alienating even more of the pro-Israel vote at home in an election year by not doing so.
Our non-Council winner this week was a piece by Raymond Ibrahim Muslim Prayers of Hate submitted by The Watcher. In it, Ibrahim, a Coptic Christian provides a little education into some of the real difference between Islam's prayers and those of other religions.
Here are this week’s full results:
Council Winners
- *First place with 6 1/3 votes! Joshuapundit–-War Drums On Iran?
- Second place *t* with 1 vote – Bookworm Room-This would explain so much *UPDATED*
- Second place *t* with 1 vote – The Glittering Eye-What's wrong With Higher Education?
- Third place *t* with 2/3 votes – The Razor-The GOP Should Fight To Win
- Third place *t* with 2/3 vote – The Colossus Of Rhodey – Laugher Of The Day
- Third place *t* with 2/3 vote – The Mellow Jihadi – What Not To Do Around Your Admiral
- Third place *t* with 2/3 vote – Right Truth – Falling In Love And Falling In Line
- Third place *t* with 2/3 vote – Simply Jews – Back home and stepping into some slime
- Third place *t* with 2/3 vote – VA Right! – Obama shamefully uses veterans as pawns on veteran's day
- Fourth place *t* with 1/3 vote – The Noisy Room – Democratic Socialists of America Goes National For Occupy Wall Street
- Fourth place *t* with 1/3 vote – GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD – Deadly Dynamics
Non-Council Winners
- First place with 2 votes! – Raymond Ibrahim- Muslim Prayers Of Hate submitted byThe Watcher
- Second place with 1 2/3 votes – Pat Condell – Useful Idiots For Palestine submitted by Joshuapundit
- Third place *t* with 1 1/3 votes - – Unsecured Pakistani Nuclear Weapons submitted by The Noisy Room
- Third place *t* with 1 1/3 vote -Via Meadea – Turkey Vs. Iran: Advantage, U.S. submitted by GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD
- Third place *t* with 1 1/3 vote -Gay Patriot – Libertarian Helps Me Articulate Why I'm A Republican submitted by Rhymes With Right
- Fourth place *t* with 1 vote -Newsbusters/Noel Sheppard – CNN Runs More Stories on Cain 'Scandal' in Six Days Than it Did Obama's Ties to Ayers, Rezko and Wright Combined submitted by The Political Commentator
- Fourth place *t* with 1 vote -Pajamas Media – 'Change' And Marxism submitted by The Right Planet
- Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote -Truth Before Dishonor – I Can't Say That I Am Surprised submitted by The Colossus of Rhodey
- Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote -The Propagandist – The Rape Of Oslo submitted by Simply Jews
- Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote -Barry Rubin – An Open Letter to the Foreign Policy Establishment: If You See Something Disastrous, Say Something submitted by Right Truth
- Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote -Carl M. Cannon/Real Clear Politics – Excessive CEO Pay and Job Losses: Are They Linked? submitted by The Glittering Eye
- Sixth place *t* with 1/3 vote -Stately McDaniel Manor – Education: Gimme That Flagpole Religion! submitted by The Mellow Jihadi
- Sixth place *t* with 1/3 vote -Chuck Farrer/Big Peace – Exclusive Excerpt: ‘Seal Target Geronimo: The Inside Story of the Mission to Kill Osama bin Laden’ submitted by The Watcher
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