In an increasingly volatile pissing contest, the US and Iran have continued to show their swaggering disdain for human life. As Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rallied his troops Tuesday, he continued his onslaught of anti-western, anti-Israel rhetoric. In response to international criticism of his handling of the nuclear debate he responded "be angy at us and die of this anger." Not to be outdone, US "President" George W. Bush responded by refusing to rule out the possibility of a nuclear attack on Iran, should diplomacy fail.

As much as I would like not to be too cynical, I can't help but think that Bush has already made up his mind yet again. let's assess the situation: one one side we have a man who believes he has a special connection with God, who will guide him to victory and... oh wait, that's both of them. To be certain, all this rhetoric about holy war continues to come from those fanatics who think they've got God on their side, justifying their hatred. But now it's a little more serious, with Iran already claiming the ability to enrich uranium, the possibility of a nuclear confrontation is far more plausible than when Iraq was overrun by Mohammed El Baradei and his lot. Of course, Iran is actually looking for an excuse to wipe Israel off the map.

So what can we do about it? well, for one, threatening war against a country that wants war is not a good start. This foolish reliance on war as the most effective form of coercion needs to be seriously reevaluated. But of course, the western world has got its nuts in a vice by relying so heavily on middle-eastern oil. But that's not the only economic connection with Iran. If we're wiling to risk lives in a military war, why don't we consider risking the dollars in an economic war? Cut them off, shut them out, tell Iran that it is not welcome in the community of nations if it won't play by the rules. But then that would mean taking the US to task for the same, in which case it's just easier to bomb the hell out of them and let the victors write history.