The people of Iran are more friendly to America than rest of Middle East

[kentuck]

They are westernized in many ways and have been an ally through the time of the Shah and before. Even after the Islamic Revolution put the ayatollahs in power, the people still respected America and the American people. Many reports out of Iran today suggest that the people of Iran are not happy with their religious leadership. One of the worst mistakes America could make would be to antagonize our friends, the people of Iran, with an attack upon their country. Cries for bombing their nuclear facilites and destroying the invisible threat before it becomes reality, is widespread amongst the mostly right-wing of this nation. They still seem to not have accepted the fact that our country is in Iraq, Iran's neighbor, because our people were lied to about the nuclear capabilities of Saddam Hussein.

[tatertop]

1. They were looking good under Mohammad Khatami

He didn't have time to reform much but he
was reform-minded and the people loved him.
Under Khatami Iran was moving, albeit very slowly,
in the direction of true Democracy.

[elfin]

2. So let's destroy that good feeling with a nuke --

iran' populace is possibly the "smartest" ala western culture/values - but they will skitter to a nationalistic right with the usual ham-handed actions of GWB.

[sam sarrha]

3. some of the most rational and intelligent people ive met were from Iran

and i have met a couple of real fanatics too, the Shaw really pissed of a lot of people.. not a single family in Iran didn't have a family member killed by the shaw's death squads

for the younger people, we put the shaw into power there, the Revolution that took the hostages during Carters presidency was in response to the inhuman murderous activities of the shaw.

[tocqueville]

4. not ALL Iranians are West-friendly, only a minority

the westernized middle-class tired of the religious rule is, yes. BTW many of them are outside Iran today.
But the rural, poor is anti-West due to ignorance or the fact that they have been paying the price for the Shahs excesses. Those parts, which are the MAJORITY elected the last president on an anti-west, antisemitic agenda. Those would be the foot soldiers to fight to the end against an invader. Besides the young middle-class is more or less drugged down (with the tolerance of the ayatollas) have lost hope and that way dosn't produce any future leaders.

So an Iran invasion or bombings would turn EVERYBODY against the West, yes, but the majority already is.