HAS THE WEST LEARNED ANY LESSONS FROM THE HOLOCAUST?

I think this speech from last night's Holocaust Memorial service at Yad Vashem makes clear enough the west hasn't:

In a speech at the annual Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at Yad Vashem on Wednesday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the West has not learned the lesson of the Holocaust.

Comparing Nazi Germany with Iran, Netanyahu said, "Just as the Nazis aspired to crush civilization and to establish a 'master race' to replace it in controlling the world while annihilating the Jewish people, so too does Iran strive to gain control over the region, from which it would spread further, with the explicit intent of obliterating the Jewish state."

The prime minister went on to say, "The determination and lessons that were acquired in blood seventy years ago are now dissipating, and the darkness and fog of denying reality are taking their place. The bad deal that is being made with Iran demonstrates that the historic lesson has not been internalized. The West is yielding in the face of Iran's aggressive actions. Instead of demanding a significant dismantling of the nuclear program in Iran -- a country that clearly states its plans to exterminate 6 million Jews here and elsewhere, to eradicate many countries and many regimes -- the superpowers back down. They are leaving Iran with its nuclear capabilities, and even allowing it to expand them later on, regardless of Iran's actions in the Middle East and around the world.

"As the civilized world is lulled into slumber on a bed of illusions, the rulers of Iran continue to encourage subversion and terrorism, and disseminate destruction and death. The superpowers turn a deaf ear to the crowds in Iran shouting: 'Death to America; Death to Israel.' They turn a blind eye to the scenes of execution of those who oppose the regime and the members of minority populations. And they hold their peace in the face of the massive arming of terrorist organizations. At the most, they make a halfhearted statement for the record.

"The bubble of this illusion is going to burst. Democratic governments made a critical mistake before World War II, and we are convinced -- and I must say that many of our neighbors are too -- that they are making a grave mistake now too. It is possible that this partnership with many of our neighbors, the partnership in identifying threats, is the foundation for the partnership in forging a better, safer and more peaceful future in our region. Meanwhile, we will not flinch. We will continue to insist on the truth, and we will do everything we can to open the eyes that have closed. I do not want to mislead anyone. We have tests ahead of us. We are in the midst of a great battle against the languor, the weakness, the denial of reality -- we will stand in full force."

Even the arrangement the GOP made in Congress may not suffice to oppose a faustian pact with Iran. A lot more must be done to make clear only dismantling Iran's nuclear arsenal and the dictatorship will suffice.