Lessons for Iran?

I occasionally read Esquire for pleasure, usually while taking care of some daily business. There was an interesting quote from Mohamed ElBaradei (Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2005 and Director General, International Atomic Enger Agency) in the January edition: "Iraq has been pulverized. North Korea has been treated with kid gloves. The difference is that North Korea has nuclear weapons -- and this leson does not pass unnoticed."

This short quote explains the current impasses between Iran, the U.S. and Europe. Not only is there concern that Iran fundamentalists might actually use a nuclear weapon against Israel, there is the further concern that they will gain immeasurable power if they succeed in enriching uranium. Being in the belly of the beast, Iran is a much scarier place than North Korea and their strategic location makes the chaos they could reap that much more troubling. The United States knows this, and will do anything they can to stop this from happening. Does that include attacking Iran? I doubt it, though the Bushies certainly wanted to. But it does indicate the ongoing imbroglio and why concerns of nuclear weapons in the middle east far outstrip concerns for Israel alone. Troubling stuff . . .