Outside View ... With both parties’ US presidential tickets now set, American voters have their last opportunity to decide whether Democrats or Republicans can field the team best qualified to meet the challenges of the next four to eight years. Voters’ primary concern in November should be war—not the one in Iraq or Afghanistan—but the inevitable one. 

Already begun but not yet fully engaged, this war WILL be fully fought within the next two presidential terms. Our votes later this year will determine if we are prepared to do so.

  

The inevitable war is with Iran. Every American voter should understand this before casting a ballot. Every voter should understand the theocratic leadership in Tehran is of one dominant mindset. The mullahs, led by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad—the latter serving at the former’s call—are committed to developing nuclear weapons. Ahmadinejad has made clear his commitment to do so.

  

An Islamist zealot, Ahmadinejad believes the 12th Imam will return to lead Islam to world domination. As the 12th Imam can only return after global cataclysmic chaos, Ahmadinejad believes he must become the vehicle for creating this chaos. 

So convinced is Ahmadinejad of the 12th Imam’s return, as mayor of Tehran he widened some city streets for the welcoming parade. 

And, in 2006, observers at the United Nations heard Ahmadinejad pray to the 12th Imam before delivering his speech. 

When one understands all this, factoring in Ahmadinejad’s past warnings about wiping Israel off the map and his lack of intimidation over retaliatory US/Israeli nuclear strikes (rationalizing deaths of Muslim victims only expedite their journeto a rewarding after-life for their sacrifice), one understands why war with Iran is inevitable.

  

While Ahmadinejad’s term in office ends in August, 2009, he can run for re-election. And, in Iran, where winners of presidential elections are pre-ordained by the Supreme Leader, Ahmadinejad, absent a flagrant act of disloyalty, will remain in office through

August 2013. This is more than enough time, by any conservative estimate, to finalize development of Iran’s first nuclear weapons.

  

Three possible scenarios for war exist.

  

One involves a pre-emptive US strike on Iran after Tehran fails to heed a last US warning to stop nuclear weapons development—unlikely regardless of who wins the next US presidential election.

  

A second scenario involves Israel, recognizing its very survival is threatened, conducting a strike against Tehran to knock out its

nuclear weapons capability. This scenario is gaining steam,especially since Israel recently practiced it and due to recent defeatist comments made to Israeli officials by the Democratic vice presidential nominee. 

Barack Obama’s supposed foreign policy “expert,” Joe Biden, said, “Israel will have to reconcile itself with the nuclearization of Iran…It is doubtful economic sanctions will be effective, and I am against opening an additional military and diplomatic front.” Israel is running out of options. And,should Israel attack Iran, Tehran will view any attack as a joint US/Israeli one.

  

The most likely scenario is Iran, after developing nuclear weapons as the US and Israel stood by, launches a coordinated nuclear attack on Israel and a terrorist nuclear/EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) attack upon the US—to await a retaliatory strike by both countries. (Having lost any land-based capability to strike back but with its submarine fleet intact, Israel will still have a sub-surface capability to do so). 

As the US reels from this devastating hit and Israel ceases to exist as foretold, Ahmadinejad will—much as allegedly Emperor Nero did as Rome lay burning—fiddle away his time. Awaiting the doom on Iran his actions will have wrought, Ahmadinejad will smile, firmly believing the 12th Imam’s return imminent and Ahmadinejad’s destiny to lead the Imam home will be recognized.

  

Only by our next president aggressively undertaking very focused diplomatic initiatives is there any possibility war can be  avoided. 

These initiatives, coordinated with allies where possible, include maximizing economic sanctions against Iran, unleashing the Iranian

MEK opposition group Tehran fears most by removing them from the State Department’s terrorist list and rearming them, further

funding all such Iranian opposition groups and undertaking other actions necessary to effect regime change in Tehran.

  

While most Americans fail to grasp it, war with Iran unilaterallybegan three decades ago. The Islamic extremists who took power there in 1979 embarked upon a jihad which since then has claimed thousands of US citizens’ lives. We have failed to fight this war as it continues today,in Iraq, where Iran’s Islamic Republican Guard Corps’ (IRGC) elite Quds unit is actively killing Americans.

  

Against this backdrop, Obama has proven himself dangerously naïve about Iran.

In 2007, he refused to support a nonbinding Senate resolution which recommended IRGC be designated a terrorist organization as he erroneously believed passage would authorize war with Iran. Too busy campaigning instead of voting on an immenselyimportant issue to future world stability, Obama failed to vote,condemning the resolution as “excessively provocative.” 

Instead of condemning the IRGC, Obama introduced legislation specifying the use of force against Iran as unauthorized by any previous act of Congress. Instead of keeping all arrows in our diplomatic options quiver to stop Iranian aggression, Obama sought to remove a

critical one.

  

Also against this backdrop while campaigning earlier, Obama said he would meet with Ahmadinejad—without preconditions. Yet the one precondition to a meeting upon which all our allies agree is Tehranstop its uranium enrichment program. 

Even Biden, not yet selected as Obama’s vice presidential running mate, criticized this suggestion. 

Obama’s willingness to talk with Ahmadinejad reflects naïve statesmanship, painting in a rational light an Iranian religious fanatic, undeterred about creating world chaos.

  

November’s US presidential election will seal America’s fate. The inevitable confrontation with Iran will boil over within the next

two presidential terms. It is a time we can ill afford inexperienced leadership.