Is history repeating itself? Iran and Iraq.

This morning, the AP reports that Iran is unhappy with President Obama, saying that he is just as bad as George W. Bush, and that all his rhetoric about change was just a lie (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,575187,00.html). It seems that another middle east country is threatening the world with weapons of mass destruction, and the U.S. is standing in their way. Once again we hear that there are UN sanctions, funds being frozen, weapons inspectors denied access... Our present President is going to find himself in the real world his predecessor had to deal with, only this time he has a weakened country and world backing him up. In his work undermining the strength of America in the world (politically, economically, troop morale-wise), he has actually undermined the very strength he needs now to use. It is easy to be a radical community organizer, "power to the people!" when the real power and responsibility rests on those evil "other guys" that they think they can hate with impugnity. But when that power is actually transferred to the community organizers, and they dilute it (underfunding and vision with Gitmo and Afghanistan, economic disasters at home like the health plan, TARP funds, et c), they may find that what they really need is the very power of a consolidated country, a strong military, and the robust free-market underneath it all -- they may find that what they really need is respect, not love, from the rest of the world.

What if we are going through the 2002 Iraq conflict all over again with Iran? Will we have to invade? What would keep us from it? If it unfolds as the last did, we say: we cannot afford to have WMDs in the hands of rogue nations like Iraq/Iran, so we need UN sanctions. When they don't work (the people suffer while the leaders find ways to sell their oil on the black market to willing countries like France and Russia: Oil-for-food scandal, remember?) someone will have to enforce the UN sanctions. Who will do it except the US? In order to keep the WMDs out of the hands of terrorists, or to keep them from being a threat to Israel, we will have to require proof (Iran is denying it has such weapons, sound familiar?), and if Iraq/Iran will not allow us to confirm that they don't have WMDs, we will have to use military force in some way. What will this do to Obama's reputation as being different from "W"? The country will have to go to war again, and many will have to apologize to Dick Chaney. That will be a bitter pill to swallow for the left.