Stop Negotiations with Iran and Start Military Campaign
By David Holcberg (Jerusalem Post, Dec. 14, 2005; Chicago Sun-Times, Dec. 19, 2005)

Mohamed ElBaradei, chairman of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said this week that Iran is only a few months away from producing a nuclear bomb--and suggested that the way to prevent this is "to go back to the negotiating table" (i.e., cave in to extortion). Following his suggestion would be suicidal.

No amount of negotiation will persuade the Iranian theocrats to give up their longtime quest for nuclear bombs. To ensure Iran will not produce--or use--nuclear bombs, the United States and its allies must destroy Iran's nuclear facilities and wipe out its regime--and must do so without delay. Iran presents a much greater danger to the United States' security than did Iraq and Afghanistan combined. Once Iran gets hold of nuclear bombs, the United States will be an easy target for blackmail and a likely target for mass destruction.

As one of the principal ideological sources of Islamist totalitarianism, Iran is an avowed enemy of the United States and a leading state sponsor of terrorism. It finances, trains, shelters and equips terrorists from organizations like al-Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad. Iran is currently waging a proxy war against the United States in Iraq and killing American soldiers by the dozens (if not by the hundreds). Under those circumstances the United States has a moral right--indeed, a moral obligation--to defend its people from Iran's threats and preempt future terrorist attacks.

The Iranian regime has repeatedly threatened to use its soon-to-be-produced nuclear weapons to wipe Israel off the map. It has repeatedly called for "Death to America." These threats must be taken seriously. We did not take Osama bin Laden's threats seriously, and lost the Twin Towers. We do not want to make the same mistake with Iran, and lose all of Manhattan.