Last week, President Obama appeared on Israeli television to calm the fears of
those living Israel. He said he would not stand back and allow Iran to acquire a nuclear
weapon.

He said: “I have been crystal clear about my position on Iran possessing a nuclear
weapon. That is a red line for us. It is not only something that would be dangerous for
Israel. It would be dangerous for the world.” He also estimated that Iran was at least a
year away from successfully developing a nuclear weapon.

The words might have meant to be comforting to some, but I suspect many
believe that Iran will go nuclear one way or the other. Israel might take the first step in
trying to stop Iran’s attempt to develop a nuclear bomb. There is no certainty they will be
successful in stopping Iran’s nuclear program.

If Iran is allowed to go nuclear, expect lots of other nuclear dominoes to fall.
Other Muslim countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey will follow suit. In fact,
they might not even have to invest in a nuclear program. They can probably obtain
nuclear weapons from countries like North Korea and Pakistan that already have them.

The irony of this did not escape the notice of Mark Steyn. In a recent column,
he noted that the per capita GDP of Pakistan is about $1,200. The GDP of North Korea
is a lot less. “By comparison Sweden’s is about $58,000 and the Netherlands’ about
$50,000. But North Korea is a nuclear power and the Netherlands isn’t, and has no plans
to become one.”

Countries like North Korea and Pakistan may be economically backward, but they
exert disproportionate military power because they have nuclear weapons. No wonder
Iran (along with other Muslim countries) want to go nuclear.

The president and his foreign policy team may say they want to keep Iran from
getting nuclear weapons, but they must