The strawman comparisons of Iran and the USSR

Steve Chapman takes up Obama's case of comparing "timy" Iran to the threat from the former Soviet Union.

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As military powers go, Iran is a pipsqueak. It has no nuclear weapons. It has a pitiful air force. Its navy is really just a coast guard. It spends less on defense than Singapore or Sweden. Our military budget is 145 times bigger than Iran's.

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I think these are the same people who say we should not attack Iran because we do not have enough military might to defeat it.

However, the point is that al Qaeda is pretty tiny when it comes to its nuclear arsenal too. It, like Iran is a parasitic military organization that makes up for its weakness through the use of asymmetrical warfare.

Iran has been at war with the US since 1979. Most of its attacks have been through proxy forces making it difficult to justify a direct attack in response. The concern with Iran is twofold. First if they had nuclear weapons it is likely that they would use one of their proxies so that it would take a while to locate the return address on the attack. Second, many of its leaders are religious bigots with an apocalyptic belief that they can create heaven on earth by destroying it, i.e. they are irresponsible nuts. They make the former Soviets look like the voice of reason.

If Iran is as weak as Obama and Chapman say, why are we tolerating the Iranian attacks on our troops in Iraq?