The little Iranian gun boat crews were not working for GWB.

That said, when a little bee stings you just swat the insect. No reason to go back to the nest and stir up the hive.

After all we need that HONEY/MONEY/OIL :)

Or do we?

WC, I'm not quite sure I understand what you are saying.

As best I can tell, you say we should have turned the little boats to AEGIS dust.

I agree.

The question does arise, would that be the first step in a war with Iran or would they back down when they realize we do have the will to defend ourselves?

I think what he's saying is why act like a bully?

Restraint takes maturity. Of course we could have turned those little boats into dust, but so what? And why should we?

In order to enter another pointless conflict?

MellyMel, does the name USS Cole mean anything to you?

Seventeen sailors died when islamic nutjobs attacked with a small, explosive laden boat.

Does it make sense to you to not respond when another small boat driven by more islamic nutjobs approaches you at high speed with the explicit threat that you will explode?

Do you understand the psychology of the region is such that our restraint is seen as a sign of weakness, weakness that will only lead to more, real, attacks costing who knows how many lives?

They out and out threatened to blow them up. Had anyone else done that, especially an American citizen, they would have had to deal with retribution. They should have fired on them.

Iran could take one of two routes with it.

1) Deny knowledge of it, claim that the boats were individuals acting on their own. Then there wouldn't be need for hostilities between the nations.

2) Admit that they sent them, and start something (while taking ridicule for sending iddy biddy boats to fight. lol)

Fromz, I think you've been "Bush" whacked one too many times.

Restraint may be a sign of weakness to the nutjobs but a sign of strength to our much needed allies in any conflict that may arise with Iran.

We sorely need those allies if we are to rid the world of wing nuts and virgin seekers.

Our allies understand the mentality of our enemy as well as we do. If you could hear what is being said in the back rooms of their political and military leaders, I'm sure you'd hear "Why didn;t that dumb ass fire on them?"