On the same day President Obama continued Nixon's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy regarding Israel's nuclear weapons, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Mike Mullen called Iran's acquiring nuclear weapons a calamity. Reuters reported:
"I'm one who believes that Iran getting a nuclear weapon is calamitous for the region and for the world," Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"It then, in my view, generates neighbors who feel exposed, deficient and then develop or buy the capability themselves," he said, suggesting Iran's acquisition of a nuclear weapon likely would trigger a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.
"The downside, potentially, is absolutely disastrous."
Now why does Israel's having nuclear weapons not contribute to a regional arms race? That question won't get asked in the Senate, with its 76 pro-Israel supporters.
The use of "calamity" by a military man is interesting. Calamities must be avoided and military men use violence to get their way.
