Mideast hijinx

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is laughing at our president. This week he said that the US and its allies can set "as many deadlines as they want, we don't care" and that he was not moved. "Obama is a big disappointment," says the Persian leader.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs retorts, "Mr. Ahmadinejad may not recognize, for whatever reason, the deadline that looms, but that is a very real deadline for the international community. And I think all of those involved in the P5+1 would encourage Iran to take that deadline as seriously as it's being taken by us to live up to their responsibilities."

Now I personally hate the Iranian bastard. But I am afraid that he is probably right. This administration can use all the tough language in the world but if we are not prepared to use a real hammer, we should probably not waste our breath. I hate to go all John Bolton on you and sound like a neocon, but there is not a lot of reasoning you can do with the rogues like the Iranian regime. They don't care. And a deadline from the international community? Stop it, you are scaring me.

Israel, our onetime ally in the middle east, would probably dispense with the pleasantries all together. They didn't puff themselves up before they blew up the Osirak reactor in Iraq in 1981, they took it out first and engaged in nice conversation later.

I used to be involved in the martial arts. One of the first things you learn is that you don't draw your sword until you are prepared to cut someone's head off. All this playground bluster reminds me of some adolescent slapfight. You can yell and threaten a dog or a child only so many times, eventually they figure out if you really mean business.

Ahmadinejad knows that the United States is thoroughly embroiled in Iraq and Afghanistan and needs a new crisis like a hole in the head. Our supposed allies, China and Russia, can't be trusted and continually thwart any semblance of consensus at the United Nations.  I can think of one or maybe two allies that would stand with the United States when the shit hit the fan. One for sure. Might even act as our proxy. But I won't mention them since this president doesn't seem to care for them much anyway.

Ahmadinejad rejected Obama's speech in which the President said "if countries like Iran are willing to unclench their fists, they will find an extended hand from us."


"Which hand did he extend? His right hand or left hand?" Ahmadinejad asked."Who has extended his hand in practice? He extended the sanctions against us. What step has he taken?""We are concerned about his avenues -- he has failed to meet the expectations of the people in the U.S. and the people of the world." 

He once again dismissed a year-end deadline on a U.N.-drafted fuel deal, saying it was "meaningless." The deal requires Iran to ship most of its low-enriched uranium (LEU) abroad in exchange for fuel for a Tehran research reactor.

There is substantial inner unrest in Iran with hundreds of thousands of opponents of the regime massing in Qom this week. One can hope that this deranged liar is toppled from within before the nagging question of our President's inner fortitude and his aptitude and stomach for military conflict is actually put to the test.