Unfrozen Cave-Man Bull Moose

Could we pretty please call a permanent moratorium on the use of culture war rhetoric when discussing what our Iran policy should be? Phrases like "geopolitical sanguine pseudo sophisticates" used as perjoratives, coming as they do from someone who's career is as a DC political flack, are less than unhelpful. Never mind that the failed Iraq policy was concocted by ur-elites from the University of Chicago as the full flowering of a bogus philosophy. If we've learned one thing, it's that the self-proclaimed "rubes" who brought us the Iraq war are the ones who are far too sanguine - about the effectiveness of "robust" foreign policy options.

Also, is anyone but the Moose actually making this claim?

Everyone knows that when Ahmadinejad threatens to wipe Israel off the map it is just a quaint Persian plea for respect and understanding. And when the Iranians suggest that they will share their nuclear knowledge with their brothers in Sudan - why worry? What is a little arms race in the Middle East anyway?

Uhm, no. Serious "sanguine sophisticates" are indeed concerned. They are also concerned with what happens when you let self-proclaimed (elite university educated) rubes wage war they don't know how to manage. I thought that'd be the lesson of the Carrier Landing; little boys should not be allowed to play with adult toys.

Update: For an instance of a non-sanguine sophisticate who's taking things seriously, as opposed to playing the rhetoric game, see Steve Clemons.