[Brilliant]

Diplomacy is a failure.

[Brilliant]

"The tide is turning in our favor," says Shariatmadari. "Even Katrina is working for us!"

[Brilliant]

"The Islamic Republic will lose in the end, just as the USSR did.

I don't know about that. Who runs out of oil first?

[Paleo Conservative]

Containment can only work if the entity doing the containing has the credibility make threats that can believably be carried out.

[familyop]

"The Failure of Containment (U.S.-European Iran policy reaches a dead end)"

Okay...whatever.

New Iran missiles can reach London
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1227123/posts

[processing please hold]

I'll take the third option.

[nuconvert]

bump

[konaice]

This is all very embarrassing, to say the least. The Europeans have no clue as to what they might do if the issue goes to the council and comes to nothing because of a lack of consensus. Would they go for unilateral sanctions against Iran? Would they take military action?

The Bush administration, for its part, is in an equally embarrassing position. Having subcontracted its Iran policy to the trio, it is now bereft of that fig leaf.

So even the Euro's failure is Bush's fault?

This wasn't "Subcontracted" it was a concious decision to let the Weasels carry the ball knowing full well they would fumble badly. No one expected any success from the Germans and French, and the Brits were just along to keep those two honest.

This choice was to SHUT THE FRENCH AND GERMANS UP. To show them that diplomacy is a wiffle bat at best, and as dangerous as a first strike at worst.

Saying this is Bush's fault is essentially to say he should have gone to Tehran on bended knee and begged, because that is the only action anyone in Europe would accept.

[WOSG]

PING - iranian options .... Democracy in Iran via regime change is looking more and more necessary.

There was a *reason* Iraq's neighbors are doing all they can to undermine Iraq's transition to democracy... there's a reason why the mullah's shipped bombs to Iraq.

If Iraq's transition to democracy were smooth and easy, it would drastically undermine the foundations of the Tehran regime, the Damascus regime, and others.

So there is a common interest among the despots to see democracy in Iraq fail. they tried to stop it, but democracy in Iraq will succeed.

Then it will be Act III, Iran.

[dervish]

ping!