At Winds of Change, Tom Holsinger makes a sobering and powerful case for invading Iran. (HT Glenn Reynolds). Holsinger’s case is an extraordinary read. What stands out most is his conviction that the Iranians may already have a few bombs made through purchases of nuclear material (or perhaps whole devices) from Korea. If so, this confirms what I’ve been saying about Iraq for some time. (See my Corner post “Preempting WMD’s.”)

The nuclear argument is and always has been the most important justification for what we did in Iraq. Invading was about stopping the future acquisition of nukes by a state likely to use them for blackmail or terrorism. Besides Saddam’s capacity to build nukes on his own, Korea’s willingness to sell nuclear material meant that Saddam could and would have acquired a weapon from them. Now it looks like Iran may already have gotten a hold of Korean nukes. That’s what Holsinger thinks explains Iran’s seemingly fearless defiance. War may be close now. And that’s nothing compared to the nightmare that would follow our failure to fight. Anyway, Holsinger’s “Case for Invading Iran” is a must read. I hope the doves critique it. If Holsinger is wrong, we need to hear why. But if Holsinger is right, we need to act quickly.