the dissident frogman · time to take sides

... But it goes even better saying it under Executive Order 13224.

The United States has decided to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, the country's 125,000-strong elite military branch, as a "specially designated global terrorist,"

Well, somebody just had an Epiphany. Better 20 years late than never, I guess.

Of course the Washington Post being on the other side, we get the obligatory scare quotes around the T word (like so: 'Terrorist'), and we get the obligatory comment from 'some analyst' — in this case, Mr. Cirincione from the Soros funded Center for American 'Progress'⁽¹⁾, a highly 'objective'⁽¹⁾ and 'nonpartisan'⁽¹⁾ source, if there was any — contending that calling the Mullahs' elite thugs the 'T' word might indispose them, embarrass them in front of their friends and ruin their chances of getting their share of booze and pussy⁽²⁾ next Friday night.

The administration's move could hurt diplomatic efforts, some analysts said. "It would greatly complicate our efforts to solve the nuclear issue," said Joseph Cirincione, a nuclear proliferation expert at the Center for American Progress.
"It would tie an end to Iran's nuclear program to an end to its support of allies in Hezbollah and Hamas. The only way you could get a nuclear deal is as part of a grand bargain, which at this point is completely out of reach."

See, that's the inherent flaw with hardcore defeatism: one always assume that the other party can't be moved, even before trying.

Okay, first, I'd like to know what makes Mr. Nuclear Proliferation Expert Sir think that the free world should seek a "nuclear deal" and a "grand bargain" with a bunch of theocratic loonies only looking to buy time until they can 'proliferate' at will, and wipe some countries off the map. Even if we should, it takes two to tango anyway, and the same goes for bargaining with the mad mullahs. Plus, and just like tango, the man leads and the woman follows.

Last time I looked, it's not us in the West who are wearing robes and French kissing straight guys at any occasion⁽³⁾.

In addition to that, the trouble with Iran is not limited to its nuclear program. Its support to terrorists groups, and its own terrorist activity since 1979 — all under direct control of the aforementioned Revolutionary Guards — are 1) the reason why we can't tolerate a nuclear Iran, unlike, say, a Nuclear Israel, a Nuclear Switzerland or even a Nuclear Disneyland and 2) the reason why it's more than time to treat these thugs as what they simply are: State terrorists. Period, full stop, and no scare quotes required.

I know, I'm being Mr. Obvious here, but apparently there's still 'some analysts' in the audience who have not figured that out.