For the Hershites out there

If you want to know what the new Secretary of Defense really has up his sleeve in regards to Iran, what better place to look than this extensive brief co-edited in 2004 by Zbigniew Brzezinski and Mr. Gates himself.

From page 47:

"Given the potential threat that Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons could pose, the full range of alternatives--including military options--for confronting Tehran must be examined. Yet the use of military force would be extremely problematic, given the dispersal of Iran's program at sites throughout the country and their proximity to urban centers. Since Washington would be blamed for any unilateral Israeli military strike, the United States should make it quite clear to Israel that U.S. interests would be adversely affected by such a move. In addition, any military effort to eliminate Iranian weapon capabilities would run the significant risk of reinforcing Tehran's desire to acquire a nuclear deterrent and of provoking nationalist passions in defense of that very course. It would most likely also generate hostile Iranian initiatives in Iraq and Afghanistan."