Proliferation's enablers

Glenn Greenwald's post 'Enforced orthodoxies and Iran' does an excellent job (as usual) of pointing out the political double-think enforced on presidential candidates by AIPAC, as well as the incongruent behavior of the enforcers of orthodoxy.

What I'd like to point out is the policy straitjacket that the Democrats have created for themselves, and its implications. A few points:

1. When Clinton and Edwards maintain that 'all options are on the table' they are specifically including a nuclear first strike on Iran.
2. None of the Democratic candidates have created any distance from the Bush's policies of encouraging nuclear proliferation in India and Pakistan, Edwards has specifically endorsed Bush's deal with India.
3. None talk about the possible threat to Israel from Pakistan.
4. None talk about the dangers of Israel's nuclear arsenal, despite the fact that their current Minister for Strategic Threats, Avigdor Leiberman is a dangerous extremist who may well end up the Prime Minister.
5. Bush's disastrous policy that has led to a nuclear North Korea is mostly unmentioned.
   
6. None have opposed Bush's plans for a new generation of nukes, and the costs and risks that it entails.
   

Make no mistake, the Democrats' failure to challenge any of Bush's policies is an endorsement of them, and promotes the doctrine of American/Israeli exceptionalism and unilateralism that is making the world more dangerous with each passing year; that means more dangerous for America and Israel, too. Despite the rhetoric on Iran (who is to be punished for asserting their rights under the treaty), Bush has overseen the dismantling of the non-proliferation agreement that had maintained a modicum of sanity in a dangerous world. The risks of further proliferation throughout Asia and the Middle East are far greater than they were six years ago, yet no Democrat speaks loudly and clearly about the dangers, nor does any offer any policy proposals to reverse this course.

Until Democrats will speak out in the interest of the American people rather than that of a relatively small group of fanatics (and that's what AIPAC is) there is little to be hoped for from the upcoming presidential contest. Unless they can see that Iran is only a small part of a big ugly mess that we can only make worse with this 'no option off the table' cowardice, there's little hope that disaster can be averted.