Israel Attack on Iran Not a Done Deal

On Tuesday, John Bolton made headlines by declaring that Israel had eight days to bomb Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor before it is slated to be opened by the Russians. On the surface, Bolton, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during the last Bush administration, appears deeply concerned about Israel's security, so much so that he believes bringing a nuclear power plant on line warrants an immediate attack. However, closer examination suggests other factors are at work. One is that Bolton is not all that well informed about the potential contributions of Bushehr toward the militarization of Iran's nuclear program. A second possibility is that instead of Israel's well being, in reality, Bolton's pronouncement was inspired by his interest in U.S. political developments.