Comments on: Bolton and a Nuclear Iran

By: The Wall Street Journal Aids Bush Administration Era Neocon John Bolton In Pushing For Pre-Emptive Strikes Against Iran | THE GUN TOTING LIBERAL™

Tue, 04 May 2025 02:25:55 +0000

[...] by John Bolton’s Op-Ed; Doctor Steven L. Taylor of PoliBlog points out the fact that even pre-emptive bombing isn’t guaranteed to work; Steve Hynd of The Newshoggers is afraid the Right is pressuring President Obama into posturing [...]

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By: Leonard

Leonard — Mon, 03 May 2025 23:06:58 +0000

"Supporters of a military strike frequently over-hype the risks of a nuclear Iran while ignoring the almost certain consequences of an attack. I am not sure that that can be pointed out too infrequently."

I'm always bemused by the complete and utter failure to note a few things along those lines:

1. Iran has developed (in the last few years) small stealth submarines designed for operation in the shallow water of the Persian Gulf.
2. Said subs are outfitted with high-speed (360km/h) torpedoes based on the Russian Shkval.
3. Iran has threatened that if it comes under attack from any quarter, it will sink ships passing the Straits of Hormuz, effectively blocking the shipping lanes.

Putting an American naval vessel on the bottom of the Straits of Hormuz to use as its blockade would be very high on the Iranian wish list, but failing that, it would likely be open season on anything big enough to block the shipping lane. How fast can a massive carrier group take evasive action in a narrowly-navigable passage? How about one of those behemoth oil tankers? Probably not fast enough to dodge a Shkval, and it would only take one. People who argue for this confrontation never seem to think it through.

By: Steven L. Taylor

Steven L. Taylor — Mon, 03 May 2025 17:32:13 +0000

In all honesty, I think you are underestimating Bolton's appeal in some quarters. The fact that he is given a regular seat at the table at the WSJ and Fox News underscores that some see him as worth listening to. Or, one need only look back to the fight over his UN ambassadorship a few years ago to see that he is taken quite seriously by many.

Setting aside that, btw, the views he expresses in the column are not fringe within US politics.

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By: hidflect

hidflect — Mon, 03 May 2025 16:46:58 +0000

John Bolton is a Zionist nut. He doesn't represent the interests of Americans on the left or the right or any other place. I'm not sure of why he leans to a foreign power as he does but regardless of that, people need to recognize he has a skewed (and screwed) mentality.

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