Let's Keep a Calm Perspective with Iran

I find it astonishing how much world opinion perceives the United States of America, the most powerful nation in the history of the world, as an underdog when it comes to Iran. I constantly read accounts of Iran being referred to as a powerhouse and that the overextended US military is in no condition to confront today. I also read that we have arrogantly played into Iran's hands as the fools we are and are now chess pieces to be moved by Tehran.

When I read this I think, "what Iran are they talking about?" Is this the Iran that could not defeat Iraqi on the battlefield in a war of attrition despite their vastly larger population to draw from? Is this the Iran that rules solely dependent on oil revenue since they are still unable to produce anything on their own? Or is this the Iran whose fanatical religious dictatorship is hanging on by a threat while the tide of a generation turns against them?

Reading the following article from Victor Davis Hanson helps thaw the chill the media plays up and affords us the opportunity to see the challenge as it actually exists.

January 04, 2007

Beyond the Braggadocio Iran's Ahmadinejad Far Weaker Than He Lets On

by Victor Davis Hanson - Tribune Media Services

The Iraq Study Group, prominent U.S. Senators and realist diplomats all want America to hold formal talks with the government of Iran. They think Tehran might help the United States disengage from Iraq and the general Middle East mess with dignity. That would be a grave error for a variety of reasons — the most important being that Iran is far shakier than we are.
More "Beyond the Braggadocio