Sticker Shock?

The United States is pushing both Europeans and Gulf Arab states to address the issue of defending themselves against Iranian ballistic missiles possibly tipped with nuclear warheads.

So, I have to ask, is this really a sign that we are getting ready to just accept Iranian nuclear missiles? Are we just going to set up passive defenses and hope deterrence and anti-missile defenses will be sufficient?

Or are we forcing the Gulf Arab states and Europe to confront the price of inactivity in real dollars and political terms? Are we more interested in convincing them to go the far cheaper route of simply keeping their mouths shut while we destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities and quite possibly the regime itself?

And what will President Bush and Prime Minister Blair discuss after Blair arrives from his trip to Iraq?

You know, in my personal life, I'm not nearly this suspicuous. But are we getting our ducks in a row?