From Iran Aggression to U.S. Recession: The Challenges Ahead

Just returned from the JPC event about the current threat landscape featuring Daniel Pipes, Mona Charen and Frank Gaffney and moderated by Michael Medved.

The key takeaways are:

• Recent Joe Biden comments in Tacoma, WA (about Obama facing a major challenge in the next 6 months if elected and the US populace would be very unhappy with his reaction) are in reference to an attack Israel may launch upon Iran in response to Iran's nuclear weapons program and how we would react if the U.S. shot down the Israeli strike force?

• Look to the U.K. as an example of implementation and acceptance of Sharia law (search Archbishop of Canterbury's statements). Islamic extremism is finding greater success through legal means of confrontation and through the defender's complacency and appeasement. (U.K. has the lost the will to defend its heritage and stand up for its principles.)

• Expect to see continued efforts in financial jjhad to transfer western assets (especially oil revenues) against our interests. The current economic turmoil reduces this cash flow and our efforts to gain energy independence will help us. (Drill, baby, drill, now more than ever!)

I had interesting conversations afterward and also picked up Jonathan Schanzer 's new book, Hamas vs. Fatah.

UPDATE:

Here is a link to the one hour video of this same event held earlier this month in Cleveland (Although David Horowitz and Clifford May present rather than Frank Gaffney).

I just came back from a session with Yossi Olmert (brother of Ehud Olmert) where he told us that the conventional countdown to Iran's nuclear weapons gave us until the year 2012, but that Israel's countdown is set for the advent of Iran having enough nuclear material to build a weapon which is only a few months away confirming the Biden statements.

Some other recollections about the JPC event:
Experts agreed that not only is the US State Department decidely Arabist, but that the CIA has also become antagonistic towards Israel and has actively thwarted the Bush administration in recent years.

Since the 1990's Israel has changed its mindset from one of obtaining victory in its struggles but to one of appeasement. The Iranian and Islamist position is one that is incapable of being appeased short of complete capitulation.