Take care choosing sides in Mideast

It’s been about six weeks and we’ve seen all sorts of turmoil in the Arab nations unfold. Mubarak fell from power (but as we always knew, the military runs Egypt; always has, always will). Bahrain is now in turmoil, Libya (well that’s another story), and finally the protests in Jordan and Yemen.

When will it all end? That is a tough call, but I am convinced we as a nation need to choose our fights wisely in this part of the world. There are two we need to take an immediate stance on.

1. No Iranian military ships must be given access to the Suez Canal. Mubarak did not allow this and we cannot not allow the Egyptian military to give them access even if they promise to adhere to the Camp David Accords.

Just as one of the rescuers yelled out to President Bush at ground zero “Whatever it takes.” Iranian warships cannot be given access to the Suez. How long do you think Israel will tolerate this?

2. We cannot allow the Bahrain monarchy to lose power to the Shiites. This is not a “popular upheaval” as the media wants us to believe. We must do all we can diplomatically to retain our Military bases in Bahrain.

This includes strong arming the Saudis in to helping as well. These are the two most critical problems we face in the Middle East/Arab world now. If we lose Bahrain and allow Iran’s military access to the Suez, we will be committing “Foreign Suicide” in this region of the world.

We need to take a stance now, a very strong stance diplomatically as well as face to face. Just as President Bush wrote on page 148 in Decision Points: ”Whatever it takes!”

Grant L. Keehn

Libertyville