There are two intelligence analyses that are relevant to the balance of power between the U.S. and Iran ”” one is the latest U.S. assessment of Iran, which certainly gave a much more complex view of what is happening there. The other is the Iranian National Intelligence Estimate of America, which ”” my guess ”” would read something like this…
Sooo… Let me see if I get this straight. The great thinker of the NY Times, Thomas “Flat Earth ” Friedman has a solution to the problem with Iran and his solution is ‘More Taxes , Less Bible’ .
“more taxes, less Bible”
Yep. More correct taxes (on carbon, etc.), and less reliance on political leaders to be religious leaders.
On the whole, a good idea.
IRNS,
“less” reliance on plitical leaders to be religious leaders? When and how have we been relying on politicians for religious leadership before?
And besides carbon taxes being based upon a fanatical pseudo science, the intent of those taxes is not to produce more energy or energu independence. Since the quickest way to be free of dependence on Mideast oil is to produce more oil domestically, and since the pushers of carbon taxes are against oil in the first place, the carbon tax is precisely the wrong thing to implement, unless what you really care about is increasing government’s taxing power.
This is Mr Friedman’s “take” on America, & he is projecting it onto the Iranians. I doubt whether the Mr Ah’madinthehead & the other crack-pots ruling that country are scandalized because an American presidential candidate “never believed in evolution”.
Friedman’s basic premise is sound, that much of America’s problem is self-inflicted via a stubborn refusal to develop and implement a sound energy-independence policy. He previously offered a very rational aproach, which was that we should stop fighting over which elements of the competing energy proposals were the best and implement all of them. I.e. we should be drilling in ANWR, developing (energy and cost-efficient) alternative energy sources, expanding nuclear, and promoting conservation (more efficient cars, appliances, bulbs, etc.) It is hypocrisy for Democrats to chant, “no blood for oil” while actively obstructing expansion of the domestic supply, just as it is for Republicans to support a war without addressing the underlying economic root cause of the conflict by supporting rational conservation measures. Sadly, it appears that for both parties obtaining and maintaining power is more important than solving the nation’s pressing problems.