What is really absurd is that Bush Administration policy of preemption, including the first strike use of nuclear weapon was really one of the worst strategic blunders US committed. As a global leader and military with a strong power projection capacity, it was totally wrong signal to send. Just the opposite should have happened. US, at the zenith of its power should have established a new, legally based international order, strengthening UN, not weakening it. US should have played the modern version of Constantine the Great, by establishing the "first among equal" platform. What Constantine did was to create the platform for the new Christian world to work with, by taking on the responsibility for gathering the various countries, but letting others come up with a consensus on religious matters. This is what saved the Christian Church from exploding into thousands of factions, and facilitated political cohesion that allowed the Eastern Empire to outlast the Western for nearly 1,000 years. At that time, projection of power was so much more constrained, so many wars were still inevitable. But the lesson that the strong needs to learn, is to be strong but just. And if that is mistaken for weakness, too bad for those who choose to test the waters. However, Obama in accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, gave the right of preemption to ALL HEADS OF STATE. I know, it was a rhetorical flourish, but he actually DID!

The problem is one of staging and build up. We don't want to be sitting waiting for the western criminal attack like Iraq, Serbia, Afghanistan.... was. We don't want to be threatened by the building of an invasion force in Europe or elswhere. We will not wait another Barbarossa. We will act decisively to remove the threatening points of action. Indeed the mere threat of us to act, will hopefully act as a deterent in itself. Our posture is one of defense, if you leave us alone then you will have no issues, we don't look to expand, we have enough real estate. But if you engage on an agressive path, which stages military hardware in such proximity and numbers, that the threat level crosses the line, then we need to act, and that action should be efficient, decisive, and sufficient to remove the threat to our security. That action will be pre-emptive, it is as simple as that. You can play games, trying to ratchet things up, you can try to encircle more and more, but know this , you choose the point you go too far, you choose the point at which you will get a reaction, not us! We will merely give the reaction as detailed in transparent documents shortly to be before you. Therefore you know the rules of the game you play with us, so understand them well, and let your actions be guided wisely, for ours are guided by rules and logic, so are totally predictable.