This issue asks Is America running out of options?

SINCE YOU ASKED
Regardless of what you may think of Julian Assange’s Wikileaks, the leaked diplomatic cables have led to many interesting revelations. We have learned, for example, that both Jordan and Saudi Arabia have been chiding the U.S. for its lack of responsible actions against Iran, clearly the greatest threat in the Middle East and beyond. Jordan went so far as to refer to the American leadership regarding Iran as “incompetent.” A Jordanian senator begged the U.S. to bomb Iran’s nuclear installations or “live with an Iranian bomb.”
 
Such warnings have been coming for some time. In 2004, Jordan’s King Abdullah warned the West of the growing Iranian threat. What did the great superpower of the world do? Absolutely nothing. As a result of our inaction, Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, Turkey, Iraq, and Qatar have come under Iranian control. If that’s not bad enough, Yemen, Oman and Afghanistan are becoming willing or unwilling partners with Iran. Despite Abdullah’s previous warning against Iran, his acceptance of a state visit to Iran suggests that Jordan may be pursuing its own peace agreement with Iran.

AS I SEE IT
The longer we wait to do something about Iran, the worse the problem becomes. Their nuclear weapons program is nearing completing and we have allowed them time to disperse and relocate their facilities underground, making them significantly harder to destroy. Add in the growing Iranian influence in the region and we and Israel have a serious problem. My point is that it all could have been averted with a well conceived plan, immediate and decisive action, and strong and consistent leadership. Since we have none of these, we are forced to deal with the consequences. As a last resort, we may have no other option but prayer.
 
It is indeed a sad state of affairs when prayer has been relegated to the status of “our last option.” The whole reason the problem developed was that prayer for our nation was not our first option. We have seen the very tangible results of failing to pray as a nation. Ever since prayer was removed from our public schools in 1962 (followed by Bible reading in 1963), SAT scores plummeted from 18 straight years, teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases increased dramatically, as did the divorce rate. Today, any attempt to engage in corporate public prayer is met with a barrage of criticism and accusations. Governor Perry has been accused of all sorts of selfish motives for his recent prayer gathering at Reliant Stadium in Houston.
 
Because of our failure to do the right thing and our decisions to do the wrong things, our nation is on the verge of collapse economically, morally, and perhaps militarily. I don’t know how much longer God will choose to protect us. The good news is that God will never break his promises to His children as individuals. He was and will remain to be our good shepherd, our rock, our fortress, and the supplier of every one of our needs, if we will continue to trust Him…no matter what.

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ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
What’s the difference between Obama and his dog, Bo?
Bo has papers.
–Jimmy Kimmel