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It seemed clear to me that Syria - not Iran - will be the next country under the microscope.

The president has made it clear that he supports the creation of a Palestinian state. And eventhough Iran remains a strong sponsor of terror in the region, pressure must be exerted upon radicals in Syria to stop the flow of money and arms to the PLO. Lebanon and Syria remain a staging ground for attacks against Israel, this too must cease. Sharon (to his potential demise) has taken steps to leave west bank settlements. And Abbas (to his potential demise) seems willing to recognize Israel's right to exist should it bring about a separate Palestinian state. Both leaders should be coddled by the US to ease their fears of backlash at home - as long as they play by the rules. Resolving this equation will legitimize American policy in the region - and do wonders to dispell the "double standard" argument prevelant throughout the Arab world.

Iran should be handled diplomatically. And the state department better do everything they can to prevent Israel from bombing Iranian nuke sites. Iran should be paranoid - but not by the threat of military action. The mullahs should be more worried about underlying movement towards democracy already in place. Should Iraq's Shia population lean more towards a secular society - so too with the populace of theocratic Iran.

Eventhough Iran possess WMD they are not as much of a threat as prewar Iraq. WHY?

Because we now have them surrounded with a democratic Afghanistan to their east and a blossoming democracy to their west. And our intelligence is substantially better. We have a huge presence in the gulf and on both their borders - and are certainly conducting clandestine ops within Iran itself. We have them exactly where we want them - under diplomatic pressure & military surveillance.