John McCain Warns of Iran 'Armageddon'

You know, you can't make heads or tails out of this Iranian situation from one day to the next. Aside from the bevy of opinions regarding an attack, you also have split opinions on whether sanctions would work. I for one think they won't. Sanctions have done nothing to stop N. Korea from flouting the worlds wants and needs and so I doubt it will change any minds in Tehran. At this point, the conventional wisdom states that Russia and China won't even vote for sanctions anyway. This is what made the latest UN resolution against Iran a paper tiger. There was no "or else" clause. There's no threat of action if the mullahs go ahead and tell the world community to get bent (as they have been since negotiations started).

So it's doubtful that sanctions, if enacted will have any effect and right now the military option appears to be up in the air and not very popular. However, the good senator from Arizona, John McCain has a slightly different opinion. Hey, he's the elected official not me so who knows:

2008 presidential hopeful John McCain said Sunday that the consequences of a military conflict with Iran over that country's nuclear program could be so serious they could lead to "Armageddon."

The Arizona Republican issued his dire warning after saying that before any military option against Iran is exercised, the world community must first put maximum pressure on Tehran through sanctions.

"We're going to the United Nations Security Council with our European allies," he told NBC's "Meet the Press." "We are seeking sanctions . . . . We must have sanctions against Iran."

McCain said that if sanctions fail, the U.S. must be prepared to resort to the use of military force.

"Would it be a difficult military option?" he asked rhetorically. "Sure, it would be a difficult military option. But you cannot remove it from the table."
Asked by "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert if the U.S. might find itself embroiled in two wars at once, McCain responded point blank:

"I think we could have Armageddon."

Without elaborating his the dire warning, the former Vietnam POW said there was still a chance that sanctions might work.

"If we handle this right, and our European allies stand with us, and the Russians and the Chinese stand with us, sanctions might do the job. And I am confident that this administration will exhaust every effort before contemplating seriously a military option."