Can someone get Patrick to explain his math? Because so much as I think Ahmadinejad is a crazy nutcase lunatic, even I, a non-Oxblogger, know full well that action against Iran would cost far more than one or two hundred billion dollars. And that's not even getting into the fact that we haven't the troops to support an anti-Iran operation, and that both we and Iran know that. And let's not even mention the havoc they could unleash on Iraq if they so chose. Post-Iraq -- and hawkishly oriented thinkers everywhere really need to square with this fact -- America's ability to intimidate enemies and threaten overwhelming violence is inoperative against everyone save the Micronesia's of the world.
Actually, we could probably scare Guam, too. And maybe Canada, just because of proximity.
But Iran? Not a chance in hell. Bypassing the UN and proving our disgust for international institutions has simply assured that, next time, with a more dangerous foe, we'll have no choice but to go through the UN and use international institutions.