"One terrible choice"

No, I'm not so sure Norm thinks bombing Iran really is so terrible. And Josh is right; his condescending tone is curdled and bitter. But this idea that the bloviating rhetoric of Iran's president places him in the ranks of Mao, of Stalin, of fucking Adolph Hitler is truly disturbing. First, it is as ahistorical as an argument could possibly be. Iran doesn't have any where near the capabilities of Communist China, the Soviet Union, or the Third Reich, and Iran has never shown any interest in invading its neighbors. Nor has it locked up or exterminated millions of its citizens. But, worse -- and this is the intention of Podhoretz and his ilk -- it effectively cuts off any debate through its sheer absurdity and fear-mongering.

Ironically, Iran doesn't have the capability to start World War Umpteen (or whatever Podhoretz is up to). But George W. Bush and the United States do.