Cross Traffic: The Officers' Club: Meanwhile Back in Iran

There's an interesting post up at Officers' Club by a Mr. Charlie Munn. It it, he opines on what a possible scenario for an Israeli attack on Iran would look like:

"The attack would definitely be a single, massive air strike the likes of which the MidEast has never seen. Here is how I think it would go down. It is widely believed that Iran is out of range of Israeli fighters and bombers. The range problem could be ameliorated by mid-air re-fuelers, but that would cause problems. Israel only has 5 KC-130 re-fuelers, and the idea of refueling over enemy airspace would complicate an already complicated plan. The solution to this problem is to establish forward landing areas close to Iran, in order to “leap-frog” into Iran. This would, of course, be an act of war against (speculating here) either Saudi Arabia or Syria.
I believe that the Israelis would attempt to bypass Turkish, and Iraqi airspace. They would have to either seize an airfield, or construct one themselves. Paratroopers would insert into the area, secure the airfield, and set up a defensive perimeter. Then the transport aircraft would begin to land and set up a FARP (forward area re-arm/re-fuel point). I assume we’ll have passed the “international incident” by this point, and all out war will be declared by one (or many countries against Israel."

I disagreed. It can't be done the way the author proposes. Too elaborate, too exposed, and most of all it is predicated on Israel abandoning control of its immediate airspace for several days (even assuming the IDF doesn't suffer crushing losses executing the strikes) exactly at the moment its neighbors will be determined to attack. All that risk, both military and political, to achieve only a delay in the mullahs' quest for what they (the mullahs) consider the ultimate weapons? The law of diminishing returns looms large here.

No way - and I give my opinion why in my post.

Required Reading

A fine Monday morning essay by Victor Davis Hanson:

"It is not the capability but the will power of the Europeans that has been missing in this war so far. But while pundits argue over whether the European demographic crisis, lack of faith, stalled economy, or multiculturalism are at the root of the continent’s impotence, we should never forget that if aroused and pushed, a rearmed and powerful Europe could still be at the side of the United States in joint efforts against the jihadists."

Read it all.

(via Instapundit, and there are more good links in his post, too.)

Parallels

I am reading "The Guns of August" by Barbara Tuchman. It is the best book I've ever read where people, diplomacy, ambitions, agendas, and mistakes are all combined to explain the origins of the first industrial war.

I can't help but be chagrined that the next one may finally kick off because of cartoons.

Maybe it's just a sign of the times.

Cartoons and Consequences

Is the progressive Left intellectually incapable of recognising the threat posed by Islamist terror? Or is it just habit they side with anyone who isn't white, conservative, and Christian?

If it was just them I wouldn't be that torn up. But they still comprise such a huge minority of the American polity (and sadly, majorities in much of European societies) they may just be enough of a distraction to enable the jihadis to commit even more tremendous, unthinkable acts before we finally own up to the work before us.

There is no muslim Martin Luther in the offing. Even if there were, the contemporary powers that be in the Muslim world would not let one live if he (or she) appeared.

The duty of the United States government to the people is to provide security. The threat from Islamic terror is about as far removed from arguments about what level of entitlements and pork should be considered "security" or even general welfare as it can be.

I don't think that the Islamofascists can win this fight. I am certain that the more time we let pass before acting forcefully to end the fight will only increase the eventual cost. I'd like to see us get it right, just once, when faced with a world war.

Must we destroy Islam? No. But we must arrive at a point where people using Islam as a causus belli no longer pose a threat. Europe may already be lost. I have no interest in seeing my daughters or their kids ever shedding blood "over there" in another babysitting exercise. We must act now to prevent the possibility of that ever happening again.

We didn't have to kill all the Germans. Nor all the Japanese. But we killed as many as it took to stop the fight AND preserve our freedom. We didn't kill hardly any Soviets, but the Soviets were operating on a political agenda - not a mystic morass of suicide and murder.

We are wasting time. Time that will be paid for in lives.

Faster, please.

(apologies to Mr. Ledeen for using his postscript)

Things Happen

It's bad enough just having to walk into an emergency room.

What follows after you admit "Yes, the nitro did make me feel better" is orders of magnitude worse.

I am not made of iron.

More later when I feel better.

Update: 1500 2 Feb: Endoscopy results show inflamation and a few minor ulcers; the doc says that that condition could well account for my chest discomfort. Good news, all in all. I feel a lot better today than I did yesterday. Mrs. Tmj is heading out to fill a prescription and pick up a medicinal pulled pork sandwich.

I ought to be a hundred percent by Monday.