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March 09, 2010The Space Between
I've always operated under the impression that if push came to shove, the Obama administration would not launch military strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities. I still believe that, but Vice President Biden's rhetoric in Israel does raise some important questions:
The cornerstone of the US-Israel relationship, Biden said, was America's unwavering commitment to Israel's security. "Bibi you heard me say before, progress occurs in the Middle East when everyone knows there is simply no space between the US and Israel. There is no space between the US and Israel when it comes to Israel's security."
I think it's proper for the U.S. to offer to protect Israel in the event her security were endangered, but what if the Israelis feel that a nuclear Iran is an intolerable threat to their security requiring military action to redress and the Obama administration disagrees? What happens, in other words, if there is a divergence in our respective threat perceptions? Does the administration do as the Bush administration reportedly did, and lean on Israel not to attack? Or do we decide that our security commitments obligate us to undertake military action?
(AP Photo)
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