Dire warnings

There are many politicians who seem to enjoy bearing warnings of impending doom, be it environmental, economic or social. Usually, it’s just a power play to score political points or gain some kind of leverage and the warnings can (and should) be ignored.

So what to think when the issue is real and a politician starts throwing around words like “apocalypse”?

According to the Jerusalem Post, a politician did just that on Friday. Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman raised a red flag about growing Saudi and Egyptian nuclear ambitions, saying that those countries’ plans coupled with Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and the current unrest in Pakistan (already a nuclear power) could create an “apocalyptic scenario.”

“Their intentions should be taken seriously and the declarations being made now are to prepare the world for when they decide to actually do it,” Lieberman said of Iran’s threats to wipe out Israel.

Lieberman and other Israeli politicians have rightly criticized the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Mohamed ElBaradei, who has pooh-poohed Iran’s nuclear activities. (Think he might be biased?)

Meanwhile, the Democrats keep trying to pull us out of Iraq and the rest of the Middle East, and tell us that our real concerns ought to be getting band-aids from the government and saving polar bears.

Yeah, we should be concerned, but not about polar bears.