WarSclerotic

On Wednesday, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton took advantage of an interview with Charlie Rose to launch some of the strongest criticism of Iran by a US official to date.

She suggested that some Iranian officials wanted Iran to be attacked, saying, “There are those who say the best thing that could happen to us is be attacked by somebody. You know, just bring it on, because that would unify us.” Yet Clinton’s strongest statement was on the legitimacy of the Iranian regime. “Deep down,” she said, “It’s not a legitimate regime. It doesn’t represent the will of the people.”

Clinton’s predecessor, Former Secretary of State James Baker was even bolder than Clinton. “At the end of the day, if we don’t get it done the way the administration’s working on it now – which I totally agree with,” he said. “Then we oughta take `em out.”

Both Clinton and Baker, however, stressed that using diplomatic means to convince Iran to give up its nuclear weapons program was imperative. Indeed, Yedioth Ahronoth quotes Baker as saying, “We ought to try every possible avenue we can to see if we can get them to correct their desire and goal of acquiring a nuclear weapon.”

Nevertheless, both Baker and Clinton agreed that if diplomacy failed, military force might become necessary. “I think Jim and I both would agree that everybody needs to know – most particularly the Iranians – that we are serious that they cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon,” said Clinton.

Clinton warned that if Iran were to obtain a nuclear weapon, that it would provoke an arms race in the region and create a “cascade of challenges” for the US and all of its allies – particularly Israel.

Clinton and Baker put the blame of failed diplomatic attempts on the shoulders of “hardliners” who believed that provoking an attack against Iran would legitimize the regime. This was likely a jab at Iranian Supreme Leader, The Ayatollah Khamenei, who recently vowed not to meet the “unreasonable” demands of the international community.
“With the grace of God,” he said, according to The Tehran Times, “efforts being made by all the hegemonistic powers to force the Iranian nation out of the scene will certainly be futile.”