Blather on Iran masks gas crisis

To the editor:

The U.S. House of Representatives' report on the threat from Iran toward the U.S. has recently been released. Reading the document you see almost every claim in the report modified with words like "probably" or "believed."

Of special interest is a map of the eastern hemisphere of the world complete with concentric circles indicating the range of various Iranian missiles. Oddly enough, the center of these circles resides in Kuwait rather than, say, Iran. The largest circle reaches Belgium. Iran can hardly reach the Red Sea now with its relatively primitive missiles, much less the English Channel.

Why does the report wildly distort Iranian missile capabilities like that? Because it's an election year? What else? I predict the electorate will hear lots of bellicose blather directed at Iran from now until the November elections, and I expect cynical politicians will attempt to use this chest-thumping flag-waving exercise in yahoo patriotism to score votes from what they hope is a worried and uncertain public. I expect Republicans in the forefront of the harsh rhetoric, and I expect the Democrats to nod weakly and look at the floor.

But while the U.S. media are transfixed by the daily sound bites from accommodating politicians who make the media's job easy and the world reacts to veiled threats of a U.S. attack, think about what that racket is doing to the price of gasoline.

MIKE PATTERSON, Sikeston, Mo.