Irreconcilable differences

Salena Zito, The PittsburgLive.com:

We are "real time" in a defining moment in our history: Iran is becoming the diplomatic equivalent of an ice cream headache with Iranian President Ahmadinejad holding the frozen confection to the roof of our mouths.

His comments about wiping Israel off the face of the Earth and denying the historical reality of the Holocaust aren't just smack talk. He is serious. He is driven by an agenda. And he will use nuclear weapons to promote it, just as Iran has used terrorism.

In this clash, we need to define the enemy, take it on and stop worrying about offending a religious sect. It is what it is: Islamic fascists are determined to end Western culture.

Our values, our way of life and our freedoms are a threat to the very nexus of Ahmadinejad's power. If Iran's people begin to enjoy a modern capitalist lifestyle, then power slips from their leaders' hands, ending rule by the sword.

The United States must take a decisive position on this, requiring Ahmadinejad to pay a substantial price if he continues to develop nuclear capabilities. READ MORE

"The Iranians cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon," says Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "This is a regime that has supported terrorism, interfered with U.S. efforts in Iraq, and whose president has threatened the United States and Israel."

Reid is hopeful that all members of the U.N. Security Council will step up to the plate and send a clear message to Iran that its nuclear ambitions will not be tolerated.

Our government should accept the reality that Ahmadinejad is serious, then respond accordingly.

Iran is much more dangerous and complex than North Korea and the stakes are very high. A nuclear Iran is more of a problem than today's Iran. In its president, we are dealing with a man who is very clever tactically, although it has yet to be determined how clever he is strategically.

But never sell the guy short: He is not the ranting equivalent of Al Gore visiting Saudi Arabia; his frothing has substance -- and a finger that is itching to press a nuclear button.

What makes him even more dangerous is that he is smart enough to know what his vulnerabilities are. He walks a tight line around those by throwing down the nationalism card anytime he smells his own weakness.

He knows that promoting a fundamentalist agenda is at odds with elements of Iranian society; in many respects, it is a society that reflects a Western/modern mind-set, that enjoys a commercial relationship with the United States and Europe. His other vulnerabilities are a lagging economy and a high unemployment rate.

Yet, despite all that, his popularity surges any time he throws down the "death to infidels" gauntlet. Perhaps it is nostalgia for the revolution and the national purpose embodied in the war against Iraq.

And don't forget: The Iranian president has at his beck-and-call the world's most professional terrorist organization, Hezbollah, which is hell-bent on procuring a nuclear weapon.

The United States and its allies need to be ever-vigilant in this turmoil mirroring the dark days leading up to the Cuban missile crisis.

Good commanders act and create opportunities. Great commanders exploit those opportunities and throw the enemy into disarray. Commanders must command from where they can control the action.

Right now, our influence is in the hearts and minds of the Iranian people. We need to capitalize on that goodwill and good messages -- pro democracy, pro freedom -- to effectively separate this regime from its people.

Win over the people and we will win this conflict. Lose this opportunity and we end up walking around like a bunch of glow-sticks at a rave party.

Salena Zito is a Trib editorial page columnist. Call her at 412-320-7879. E-mail her at szito@tribweb.com