Bush consults Dems on Iran?

I think that Lorie Byrd has nailed the real reason the GW Bush is meeting with promenent Democratic and Republican national security experts.

Iran.

I commented:

GWB has said that he would act preemptively to prevent future 9/11s that could include WMDs. Iran should have gotten the message when we took care of Saddam, but the present leader of Iran is building Nuclear Weapons – if we take him at his word. I’m not a UN diplomat, but I’m pretty sure that’s a treaty violation – not that the NNPT is the only relevent issue here. Bush will act to proactively protect the US from Iran’s Nuclear capabilities, much like JFK acted to force the missles out of Cuba. JFK was ready to go to war.

THe Dems in the meeting will have their words recorded, but I am sure the president will extend them the courtesy of keeping everything off the record. (I also suspect that he has a similair conversation on tape about Iraq from 2002, but with the same off the record agreement). It would be very interesting to see what they say. I am sure that there are a few true pacifists/isolationists – probably Jimmy Carter types. I am sure there are a few that sway with the wind (Kerry). And there are some Liebermans too.

I don’t know what the options are; but I suspect that the military options are fraught with lots of negatives: civilian casualties, low likelyhood of completely destroying all WMD related items, Iranian backlash, European backlash, Democratic backlash. But this has to be balanced against the possibility of a nuclear 9/11 in Tel Aviv, or Rome, or London, or Washington DC.

Perhaps a miltary naval/air blockade. This would be ugly on TV, as the pictures of starving children would appear in days but it might be better than bombing.