Iran as Pariah?

Below is a comment that today I had the unmitigated gall to send to the well-known site, Informed Comment, run by Juan Cole, a confirmed expert on all things Middle East. Though his stands are normally exemplary, I thought he went off the deep end in a recent post in which he said that Iran was becoming a pariah state, because of its recent elections, and because of Iran thumbing its nose at those who want to impose tight limits on its nuclear programs, and because of Ahmadinejad's recent statements about the Holocaust. I thought that, if anything, Iran's attackers deserved parian status at least as much if not more, because of the "sticks and stones" proposition, and most of the several other comments made to that post said pretty much the same.

I have never posted to that site before, and especially not to such a bigtime one. I don't know if Cole has approved it yet to appear in the comments. But I liked what I said because it involved a matter that has always puzzled me, and I have yet to hear any explanation that would hold much water.

I agree with those who have said that you've slipped off the track on this "Iran as a Pariah" kick, Mr. Cole.

To the best of my knowledge, the Iran leaders have not yet threatened to bomb Israel. But Israeli figures regularly threaten to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities, if they can't push the U.S. into doing it for them.

What do you think would hurt worse, Mr. Cole? Being bombed, and in a nuclear place, or having to hear invective that is nothing that the Israelis haven't heard before, from the Iranian President and others. I think most people would much prefer being hit by harsh words, if they have to be hit by anything at all

And anyway, what is it about the Iranians that they are forbidden to waste good time, effort, money, and brainwork on developing nuclear weapons, should they so desire, when their record for bellicosity is much better historically than any of the nations that have nukes, especially the U.S. and Israel? No one ever seems able to give a good answer to that question.