Letter Of The Day

As the drums of war continue to beat in regard to Iranian nuclear capability, there are some glaring omissions in disclosure by the administration — namely that Iran has mutual defense treaties signed with both Russia and China. If we launch a pre-emptive attack on Iran, can we be certain that Russia, with its advanced nuclear arsenal, will remain neutral or will it honor its treaty?

If we use tactical nukes, as extolled by Dick Cheney, will Russia respond in kind? Will energy-starved China, and its 1.6 billion people, see a U.S. attack on Iran as an attack on its national security? China has huge natural gas and oil contracts with Iran, and we seem incapable of handling the 26 million people in Iraq.

It's been said that if the only tool you have is a hammer, you will tend to see every problem as a nail. Maybe this is a problem of perception, and President Bush sees his only tool to be the military. That would make every problem a war just waiting to happen. It seems like a good time for cooler heads to prevail. Let's hope we find some, and soon.

-Larry Wohlgemuth, Ankeny.

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