While President Barack Obama was learning the ins and outs of foreign policy, an important part of the job of U.S. president, the Iranian nuclear development program was grinding away. While the Israelis were aware of the danger of inaction, our government's policy was repeatedly warning Iran of the "consequences" of continuing development of weapons-grade plutonium and imposing economic sanctions.
It appears now that one of the most dangerous and unpredictable nations on the planet has enough nuclear material to make a bomb that can strike nearly anywhere on the face of the Earth.
With the ties between Iran and the terrorists in the volatile Middle East so strong, we need to assess whether it is too late to do something. Obama let the Iranians string him along with promises of negotiations while they continued to work. We may need to decide between two bad choices, military action by air or acceptance of a new member of the nuclear weapons club that refuses to sign on to a non-proliferation treaty. While neither option is appealing, the concept of nuclear weapons being made available to terrorists is not acceptable.
Our president has not made the world a safer place, notwithstanding his Nobel Peace prize, and we have yet to see what lessons he has learned from his first-term experiences.
LOUIS-JACK POZNER
Albany