"the most serious crisis we have faced"

The Situation in Iran seems to be gathering a lot of steam, and nations are now starting to saber rattle. The title and subtitle of this article is a Quote from John McCain in a Fox News Interview, and was probably precipitated by a recent statement by Israel's Defense Minister: http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/1/21/215128.shtml?s=et

"Israel will not be able to accept an Iranian nuclear capability and it must have the capability to defend itself, with all that that implies, and this we are preparing," Shaul Mofaz said.

Israel is not alone as we have seen.  France already alluded to using Nukes against terrorist nations (and they were not talking about North Korea), and Germany has even started rattling its saber as well:

Germany's defense minister said in an interview published Saturday that he is hopeful of a diplomatic solution to the impasse over Iran's nuclear program, but argued that "all options" should remain open.

While all this bluster is good, it will not mean a thing if the European community is just that, bluster.  But there are indications that indeed, Europe has finally found a threat they cannot tolerate.  For while it is unlikely an Iranian Scud will hit France or Germany, the likelihood of one hitting Israel is very great, and Israel has made its intentions known.

The biggest difference between North Korea and Iran seems to be the mental stability of its leaders.  While there is no question that Kim Jung Il is a whack job, no one has yet said his trolley has left the tracks.  Nor have they been overtly threatening their neighbors.  For the most part, they are just playing the UN game.  Blustering.

Not so Iran.  They have already called for the eradication of another sovereign state.  And not just a regime change, but the actual extermination of the entire nation.  They may be playing a game of chicken, but the rest of the world does not seem to be buying that.  They are taking the threat seriously.

Nothing may come of this, but it is apparent with 2 broken promises to date, Iran is not going to agree to do anything short of arming themselves with nuclear weapons.  And while their missile technology is in its infancy, so they do not really pose a threat now to nations outside the Middle East, it is good enough to take out a few neighboring Arab and Jewish states.  And I dont think any of those countries are too keen on having a Persian threat on their borders either.

So the die is being cast.  The US is playing it very coy, making it plain that they fully support the European initiative, while holding their own options close to the vest.  Will the Europeans step up and get tough with Iran?  Or will they cave again as they have so many times in the last 50 years?

Time will tell.  But one thing is very interesting.  For all the rhetoric of Europe and their hatred of Bush, when the chips are on the table, they do not seem to be too worried about a Cowboy lobbing a nuke across the ocean.  But they sure seem afraid that a loony tunes Muslim just might try some stupid stunt like that.