Faulty reasoning

Re: the Osirak Option, Matt Yglesias says:

But there’s really no reason to think that unilateral airstrikes will do anything to the delay the point at which Iran has a nuclear weapon. Bombs will destroy facilities, but facilities can be rebuilt.

But rebuilding facilities–exceptionally complicated facilities that took years and years to build in the first place–takes time. And time=delay.

So yes: unilateral airstrikes won’t STOP Iranian nuclear ambitions. But unilateral airstrikes will almost certainly delay them. As Iraq’s program was delayed. And if we can get an Iraqesque delay on WMD…….