Mark Zivin http://www.jta.org/user/profile/20327 Ardent Reconstrutionist and nuevo political activist. Believes in that Jewish values need to be applied universally. Unfortunately, Ends still do not justify Means. en-us zsilberman@washingtonjewishweek.com Copyright 2012 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Everyone agrees that the thought of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon represents a grave danger to Israel and the rest of the Mideast as well. But very few here in the U.S. are talking about the very real and much more likely danger of the aftermath of a military strike on Iran. Iran (Persia) is not Iraq. They are ready to respond (see Robert Baer's chilling 2008 book on Iran "The Devil We Know"). It seems very likely that an Israeli attack on Iranian soil will be met not only with the closing of the Straits of Hormuz, but also with hundreds, if not thousands, of rockets from Hezbollah and Hamas. And these now reportedly have the range to reach every city in Israel. That isn't to say that a military strike should be ruled out - but both the American and Israeli public should be given adequate warning of what the likely consequences could be. The IAF planes will not be welcomed with "rose petals" like we were told U.S. troops would be in Baghdad. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Hear, hear. As one who has apologized more than a couple of times and who, hopefully, now is calmer, wiser and perhaps a better teacher, thank you for this excellent piece. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 I don't believe that Cohen was "demonizing" Israel - but rather reacting to very real military exercises by IDF, comments made by PM Netanyahu and others in his cabinet, and the general Israeli public support for a pre-emptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. I concur with Mr. Cohen: "To avoid that nightmare Obama will have to get tougher with Israel than any U.S. president in recent years." I will grant you that the following sentence: "It’s time." Is editorial in nature - and not necessary within the context of what I think is a well considered column. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 My kippah goes off to all involved. For Roger Cohen to be willing to personally go to answer his critics face-to-face, to Rabbi Wolpe for maintiaining decorum, and to JTA and Mr. Tugend for the report. Our country has spent the last five years pursuing a war that was based on inadequate information, study and/or debate. Shame on us if we make these same mistakes with Iran. I urge all to do a little bit of research about the history of Iran, its past relations with Israel and particularly its actions since 1978. I believe that the picture one sees won't be pretty - but if viewed objectively - will lead one to reject comments like Steve's (which arguably reflect the thoughts of many if not most Americans) out of hand. I would argue that we have much more to gain by trying to seek an alliance with Iran rather than trying to destroy it - but that is another story. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Surely, Mr. Klein is being either naive or disingenuous for not recognizing that the position, function and influence of Secretary of State is far different from that of US Senator. The same can be said for the politics of each position. It seems that Mrs. Clinton is indeed taking her position seriously and suppressing her personal views in favor of the Administration's views. So, Mr. Klein can continue to disagree with those policies, but only comes across as silly in his feigned characterization of this as a change in her personal point of view. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 "Does this mean the civilized peoples of the world -- that is, those of us who don't make a goal of killing innocent civilians, women and children -- ought to engage and compromise with them?" I think a reasonable answer is: "If one has confidence in both our power and the correctness of our point of view, we should have nothing to fear by engaging with those whose views we disagree with (and even abhor)." Lack of willingness to engage seems to me ot be a sign of weakness - not a sign of either strength or principle. "As for the blockade of the strip -- Gaza is enemy territory controlled by a radical Islamist group that represses its own population and is bent on Israel's destruction. Why should Israel open its borders to Gaza or encourage Egypt, Gaza's other neighbor, to do so?" Again, the answer lies in seeking a long-term permanent solution to this problem that, like an infection, unless dealt with at its root causes, will continue to fester until it kills the organism that controls it. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00