The Giant blinked.  American power does not have the capability to deal with this situation in a way that won't end badly.  As I said earlier, Islamic Civilization has intergenerational aspirations.  Iran are not the "madmen" the neocons portray, but based on many recent articles by experts, it's clear that they do have enough of a long view to be willing to sacrifice the well being of the current generation for the long term prospects of their civilization.  Eternal Western hegemony in the Middle East is not consistent with that long-view, but neither is national suicide.  However, now the...