Already there have been reports of new military maneuvers in Iran and US troops being dispatched to islands off the coat of Yemen, near Iran.
Under Republican and Israeli criticisms, Obama feels he has to appear even tougher. "Appear" is the operative word.
But remember that saying , " When the going gets tough, the tough get going "
Where are we going?
Rather than relax tensions, US-style diplomacy is raising them to higher levels accompanied by escalating media propaganda built on calculated leaks by "intelligence experts" warning of imminent Iranian attacks on the US.
The less the evidence, the more false rumors become news.
There are even reports of Iran unleashing Al Qaeda terrorists even though Tehran has jailed many and is ideologically at odds with the Saudi-oriented Wahabi brand of Islam. favored by the late Sheikh bin Laden.
The Wall Street Journal, no supporter of the Ayatollahs, ran a full-page story Monday: "US Fears Iran's Links to Al Qaeda." That was the headline. In the body of the story, unnamed US officials were quoted downplaying the link and dismissing the idea.
One said: "There is not significant information to suggest a working relationship between Iran and al Qaeda." (Excuse me but hasn't Obama also been implying that by killing bin Laden, al Qaeda has been contained as a threat?)
The Journal also quotes Hilary Mann Leverett, a National Security aide in the Clinton and Bush Administrations. She says bluntly," I think (there) is a war-fevered hysteria going on now. A lot of this stuff is really flimsy and is really questionable."
Questionable or not, deceptive claims are making headlines and feeding more hysteria that could lead to the very military actions that Obama is saying he doesn't support.
The late Richard Nixon used to approach diplomacy by drawing three columns on a piece of paper.
One said, "What We Want,' the second, "What They Want, and the third, "What Can We Agree On?"
Obama seems to have only one column on his agenda: "How can I get reelected," a goal he says humbly, he feels he "deserves."
Right now, he and his Secretary of State are pandering to the right and the Israeli Lobby while pretending to cut military spending.
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