“The Threat to Iran.”

That’s the title of this Thomas Powers essay which spans the top cover of the current New York Review of Books. And to think, all this time I had been worried that it was “The Threat of Iran,” what with its killing our soldiers in Iraq, its unabated attempt to enrich uranium, and its support for international terrorism. Silly me. Apparently, all this time, the real threat has been one pointed at Iran, not from it.

By playing down the supposed dangers of a nuclear Iran, Powers all but makes the case that the mullahs should get a nuclear bomb. After all, he says, “the world’s experience with nuclear weapons to date has shown that nuclear powers do not use them, and they seriously threaten to use them only to deter attack.” Rather, “what changes is that nuclear powers have to be treated differently; in particular they cannot be casually threatened.” Take that, BushCheney! No more “casual threats” to Iran. They deserve better.