Then there is the issue of the so called smoking gun laptop. The Arms Control Association raises this allegation, while failing to mention that the laptop came from the polical arm of the Mujahedin-e Khalq - listed by the Staet Department as terorist organisaiton.

The MEK, which has been setting off bombs in Tehran, has been dismissed by the CIA and other itelligence agencies as the pruveryors of bogues evidence.

One more thing, the green salt project supposely documented on the latop refers to nuclear enrichment by means of lasers, which Iran do not have the technology to pursue. Needless to say that the latop- evidence was so pathetic that the US did not even bother referring it to the UNSC. As for the 12-24 month time frame, we have been hearing that story ever since 2004.

Now, where are we?

Oh yes, The President of Iran has made statements on a number of occasions that were originally translated as calling for Israel being wiped off the map.

This of course has been debunked years ago, but Islamophobes just can’t let this one go. No mention was ever made about wiping Israel off the map. As Juan Cole, a professor who actually speaks Farsy has explained, the phrase he used was "The Imam said that this regime occupying Jerusalem (een rezhim-e ishghalgar-e qods) must [vanish from] from the page of time (bayad az safheh-ye ruzgar mahv shavad)." In other words, he called for regine change in Jerusalem. Not the n icest thig to say abotu Israle, but hardly a call to genocide.

So then you go on to argue that he talks about an apocalypse in the region that will be like our Christian second coming. Wow, who else does that? Ever heard of John Hagee, who was an adviser to McCain, or McCain's other spiritual adviser who suggests that the US was created by God to destroy Islam?.

Another thing you fail to udnerstand is that "he" does not have control over the military in Iran, or much else for that matter. He doesn’t even control the nuclear program. Iran is not controlled by him by by the Supreme Council. So even if Iran did have the bomb, it wouldn’t be him who has his finger on the button.

And as you point out, the mullahs are not the religious idols they prented to be, but are most likely corrupt, materialistic and self serving indivuduals who want to hang on to power (much like ouer own political and evangelical leaders ). They are hardly going to put their lives on the line for a faith they probably don't even believe in.

The reason your beloved URL argues against attacking Iran or that such an attack had little probability of success is becasue quite simply, all we have are what if's and theories about what Iran might have. We don't have any evidence of an Iranian nuclear wepoans program, which means we have no tragets to bomb.

Last but not least, you also demomnstrate you ignorance as to where Malaki's allegiances lie. Malaki is a member of the Dawa party, which is an Iranian politcal arm. It is the Mahdi army that are actionally the nationalist, with much weaker ties to Tehran. Yes, Sadr may be spending time in Iran, but Dawa, SCIRI and Badr all all Iranian polical groups.

Malaki's call for the US to wirthdraw within 16 months really caught the US off guard, but is evidence that Malaki feels he doesn't need the US anymore - or rather, that Tehran is giving him the signal to get rid of the US.

The Americans are no longer wanted by any of the Iraqi factions: not the Sunnis, who hated us from the beginning, not the Shi'ites, who soon learned to hate us, and not even the Kurds, formerly our trusted compradors in the region and now sullenly resentful at having had their anti-Turkish campaign reined in by a joint effort of US and Iraqi forces.

The status of forces agreement has been demoted to the level of a "memorandum of understanding," so as not to require a vote by the US Congress, nevertheless it cannot avoid a vote in the Iraqi Parliament. That's what they mean by "exporting" democracy: It's the Iraqis who do the voting, while we just get to foot the bill. The SOFA agreement has not even been ratified, but lo and behold, it calls for the withdrawl of US troops by 2011. Damm, it looks like we have a timetable for withdrawl!!!

As for your theory that we are there to address the fears of the Sunnis and Kurds, that's quite amusing. The Iraqi miltary is already turning on the Sunni's and the conflict over who controls Kirkuk looks like blowing out into another potential civil war.