<div>Sigh. After working myself up to think that the popular-front left should back Edwards, and asserting so to an audience of perhaps appropriate crickets chirping on lbo, Edwards immediately said a bunch of crazy stuff about nuking Iran. Sigh. I get that Dems need to posture and position to be elected in a country where like 60% of people still think Sadam did 9/11 and believe in angels and think the rapture is coming next year etc, but, rhetoric like this would be over the line to get my support in a primary. Of course in the general election I will shill for Satan himself if he runs against the Republican, but, as of now, looks like I'm back to Sharpton (whose politics are similar to Kucinich's, but I try never to endorse veganism).
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<blockquote>In a speech at a conference in Herzliya, Israel, former Senator John Edwards (D-NC) took aim at Iran, warning that the "world won't back down." The 2004 Democratic vice presidential nominee, who recently launched a new presidential campaign, also said that Israel should be allowed to join NATO.
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<p>Although Edwards has criticized the war in Iraq, and has urged bringing the troops home, the former senator firmly declared that "all options must remain on the table," in regards to dealing with Iran, whose nuclear ambition "threatens the security of Israel and the entire world."
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<p>"Let me be clear: Under no circumstances can Iran be allowed to have nuclear weapons," Edwards said. "For years, the US hasn't done enough to deal with what I have seen as a threat from Iran. As my country stayed on the sidelines, these problems got worse."
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<p>Edwards continued, "To a large extent, the US abdicated its responsibility to the Europeans. This was a mistake. The Iranian president's statements such as his description of the Holocaust as a myth and his goals to wipe Israel off the map indicate that Iran is serious about its threats."
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<p>"Once Iran goes nuclear, other countries in the Middle East will go nuclear, making Israel's neighborhood much more volatile," Edwards said.</p>
<p>Edwards added, "Iran must know that the world won't back down. The recent UN resolution ordering Iran to halt the enrichment of uranium was not enough. We need meaningful political and economic sanctions. We have muddled along for far too long. To ensure that Iran never gets nuclear weapons, we need to keep ALL options on the table, Let me reiterate - ALL options must remain on the table."
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