Paying Attention to Iran

Carl Cannon of RealClearPolitics argues that the press is not paying enough attention to what is actually the most serious issue facing the U.S.: The Iranian nuclear program. Though he does point out some exceptions:

Last month, on "Morning Joe," Mika Brzezinski hosted a program on which former U.S. diplomat Richard Haas and Iranian official Mohammad Javad Larijani discussed Iran's nuclear program.

Aside from denying everything, and doing so with a mirthless smile, Larijani claimed that Iran had "fantastic relations" with all its neighbors, termed the United States the world's biggest sponsor of state-supported terrorism, said it had supported the Taliban and al-Qaeda, and referred to "the renegade state of Israel" as the source of all the terror in the region -- all while of refusing to grant Israel even the right to exist.

Afterward, Brzezinski, who is well-informed on foreign policy issues, was shaken. "I was actually really disturbed by the entire interview," she told her panelists. "It was chilling."

A few moments later, Brzezinski added, "I also would love to hear each [presidential] candidate really, really, really talk about their perspective on the Iran situation."

Me, too.

Barack Obama says nothing much these days about Iran; the Republicans tend to say some simple-minded things. I would love to see the issue more thoroughly ventilated, and on a sophisticated level. Those who believe bombing Iran may be a good idea have to explain how this dramatic step would be worth the potential cost; those who argue that an attack should not be contemplated ought to tell us in detail how they would manage the challenge of an aggressively nuclearized Middle East.