Ooh! A Helpful Chart!
By Is Iran a threat to the existence of the United States? Joltin’ Joe Lieberman says yes:
Obviously Israel is first in the line of Iranian fire. And it represents an existential threat to Israel. But you know who is next? The Arab countries in the Middle East and they’re worried about the Iranian program and want us to ask strongly to stop it. And we’re next! Because Ahmadinejad in Tehran constantly leads the mobs in shouts of death to America. And they mean it.
Whoa; that’s, like, pretty scary. We should stop Ahmadinejad before he marches into the Rhineland. But can we? Is it too late to prevent the emergence of this new world power? Fortunately, the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation has prepared a helpful chart:
| UNITED STATES | IRAN | |
| Population | 303,824,646 | 65,875,223 |
| Gross Domestic Product (GDP) | $13.8 trillion | $0.75 trillion |
| Defense spending fiscal year 2009 | $711 billion | $7.2 billion |
| Total troops | 2,580,875 | 895,000 |
| Main battle tanks | 8,023 | 1,613 |
| Reconnaissance vehicles | 348 | 35 |
| Armored infantry fighting vehicles | 6,719 | 610 |
| Armored personnel carriers | 21,242 | 640 |
| Artillery units | 8,041 | 8,196 |
| Helicopters | 5,425 | 311 |
| Submarines | 71 | 6 |
| Principal surface combatants | 106 | 5 |
| Patrol and coastal combatants | 157 | 320 |
| Mine warfare ships | 9 | 5 |
| Amphibious ships | 490 | 21 |
| Fighter aircraft | 3,538 | 286 |
| Long-range bomber aircraft | 170 | None |
| Transport aircraft | 883 | 136 |
| Electronic warfare/intelligence aircraft | 159 | 3 |
| Reconnaissance aircraft | 134 | 6 |
| Maritime patrol aircraft | 197 | 8 |
| Anti-submarine warfare aircraft | 58 | None |
| Airborne early warning aircraft | 53 | None |
| Nuclear warheads | ~5,400 | None |
Er… Joe? There seems to be, uh, a discrepancy…