I personally do not think the Iran Mullahs are that crazy and did intentionally install Ahmadinajad to counter the rhetoric of opposing countries.
I am concerned about nuclear weapons in the hands of countries that are not totally stable which Iran is not. We can see that in Pakistan right now. If Musharraf's regimes falls some of the options places Europe and the U.S. in grave danger.
Regarding Iran, I think what is happening is lots of saber rattling on all sides which is fine as long as it results in a diplomatic solution as it appears to be in North Korea.
I do not see Israel electing Beten-yahoo anytime soon since the majority of Israelis are tired of war and want to be focused on peaceful coexistence with Palestineans and all other neighbors.
Iran is in much the same situation China was during the cold war until there were diplomatic understandings with most countries and trading agreements were worked out.
In Iraq the neo-cons are out. If you watch closely at what is happening Bush Sr. (the master diplomat) has become Bush Jr.'s top advisor which is why you see a sudden shift toward diplomacy on all fronts. Cheney no longer has the power he once had and he had it all.
This so-called surge plan was actually a way for Bush Jr. to paint his way out of a corner that he painted himself into. In September there will be a major shift in policy even if Bush Sr. has to give his son a "time-out."
I'd say Pakistan is the bigger danger when it comes to unstable realms and nukes, seeing as Pakistan definately has nuclear missiles already.
However, Pakistan is a US ally in the so-called "War on Terror" (or whatever they are caling it today) and it is off the media radar in respect to its nuclear arsenal falling into even more extreme hands than it already is. If I had to pick the most likley spot for a nulcear war, Pakistan Vs. India would be it. Small varmints, if you will.
I always believed from that the neocons brought Bush Jr. to power but made sure Cheney was there to run things. Bush Sr. was never one of those neocons and was kept on the outside until the '06 election disaster. Bush Sr. and his allies like Jim Baker forced their way in and have pushed Cheney aside for all intents and purposes.
Regarding nuclear weapons, I don't see any difference between Pakistan and Iran. They are both highly volatile states with significant internal dissent which is a bad formula for for nuclear weapons.
