Reposted by arrangement with Think Progress

Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) told reporters that he “would not at all be surprised that there may be a pre-emptive attack” by Israel against Iran — and he doesn’t think the U.S. could do anything about it. Savannah Now reports Chambliss said that, though he has “no indication of anything right now,” he could foresee a strike:

If Iran keeps moving down the road they’re moving on now, Israel has every reason in the world to [be] concerned about the future of its country and people. … I’m not sure there is anything the United States could do to stop Israel.

When news of an alleged plot by Iran to assassinate a foreign diplomat in the U.S. broke, right wingers pushed for war. At the time, Chambliss, who has a poor (at best) understanding of Iran, “urge(d) the administration to hold the Iranian regime accountable in a direct and meaningful way.”

But much of the U.S. security establishment — as represented in the periodic National Journal “National Security Insiders” poll — doesn’t agree with either a U.S. or Israeli strike. A slim majority of respondents said that “no military strike should be carried out,” no matter the circumstances. And none of those polled thought the U.S. should undertake the mission alone. Ninety-five percent of respondents also thought it was a bad idea for Israel to strike Iran. Here’re the results:

Respondents, who come from among the well-connected National Journal’s sources, said that an attack on Iran “would set in motion a conflagration, set back the Arab Spring, and destroy what little is left of U.S. credibility as an arbitrator of the Middle East peace process,” among other given reasons to not attack. Another respondent said: “It’s a dream for us to think that a strike will solve this problem.”