The ultimate “or what” question about Iran is, if sanctions and threats fail, could we live with a nuclear Iran? Could we trust that like every other nuclear state Iran would be deterred from using its weapons by the certain knowledge that a counterstrike would turn Persia into a wasteland? It’s worth serious discussion, but while the idea of containment by deterrence is gaining ground in pundit-land, President Obama can’t touch it; to do so would undermine the whole effort to halt Iran’s program and, not incidentally, would be hazardous to his reelection.
Obviously I'm generally in favor of not starting more wars, but generally the people of the King of Pundit-Land are the stupidest fucking people on the planet who have no idea what they're talking about on most of the issues that they think their opinions matter about. I know it's a bit glass house of me to knock people who spend their days opining, but what I'm really knocking is that suggestion that the blessing of Pundit-Land gives an idea any merit.