> then why haven't they already? aren't two enough? and the Brits have
> one there too.
They haven't because the CVs are too far away to be hit. Stuff
another in the Gulf and the restricted waters force one into range. I
am so stuck on crap I know from staring at maps all the time that in
my arrogance I forget that some things aren't obvious to normal
people. Sorry!
Well, they seem to have blinked this time. The latest news is that
they have 3000 centrifuges (something of a magic number, from what I
read) on line now, which is enough to refine enough uranium for a bomb
in a year. my guess is that provocation at this time is not in their
interests. they could have just shot at and killed the brits, but the
latest poop there is that the purpose for their abduction was for a
bargaining chip for some of the Quds 'diplomats' we (the US) had in
custody in Iraq. One was released in the last week, possibly in
exchange for the sailors.
> As I said, it's not what we plan to do, it's what the Iranians think
> we plan to do.
I can understand where you're coming from, but I'd be surprised if the
Administration can accurately predict the reaction to any given
sequence of events, much less a normal rotation of a CVBG. Their
track record is nothing to be proud of.
I'm not saying this was anything but normal SOP for our guys, and I
don't think the newsmax writer did either, nor was it prompted by the
sailor abductions. but that doesn't mean the Iranians knew that, or
didn't suspect.
At this point, the Iranians have to feel they're 'this close' to
getting the bomb, and they don't want to do anything to jeopardize
that. The sailor abductions were provocation but calculated, I think
- not rising to the level of retaliation.
But once they go nuclear, the game changes.
