The Obama administration is taking a big risk by reversing a Bush administration policy that would have put defensive missiles in Eastern Europe to counter the growing nuclear threat from Iran.

Intelligence analysts are divided over Iran's nuclear capabilities. Some think Iran is closer than ever to creating a nuclear bomb and will soon have - if it doesn't already - the missile capability to hit Israel and targets in Europe. Others believe Iran is months, or possibly years away from such capability. Clearly the Obama administration is buying into the "years away" theory. It also thinks that talking to Iran is going to deter their appetite for wiping Israel off the map and bringing down the United States.

Do we need another 9-11, or worse, for people to wake-up again? This is a world war. The fanatics are serious about destroying our economy and way of life, not to mention destroying us. They see our behavior as weakness and that is the one thing they know how to exploit.

Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.