Iran's Plate Too Full To Respond To US

It seems as if the Obama administration is actually attempting to appear naive on the world stage as it pursues dialog with Iran at any cost. It is as if they believe that by faking the depth of our gullibility we might be able to hoodwink our adversaries into raising a white flag.

It truly is becoming embarrassing.

Hillary Clinton told the BBC the US was waiting for an answer to its overtures, but Iran did not have "any capacity to make that kind of decision right now".

Mrs Clinton recently warned that Iran's time to respond was limited.

The US accuses Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons but Tehran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.

"We haven't had any response," Mrs Clinton told the BBC's state department correspondent Kim Ghattas.

"We've certainly reached out and made it clear that's what we'd be willing to do, even now, despite our absolute condemnation of what they've done in the [12 June presidential] election and since, but I don't think they have any capacity to make that kind of decision right now."

Not to be a stick in the mud here, but Iran has had years and years and years to respond to US and UN and EU concerns on its nuclear weapons program through a number of channels. Blaming this latest no response from Iran on domestic strife is laughable. They are not answering because it is not in their best interests to answer.

When we approached the Iranians with hat in hand they demanded an apology. Neither our kid-glove response to Iran's brutal protest quashing nor our willful ignoring of Iran's hand in the murder of US military personnel inside Iraq has had any effect on the mullah's stance.

When we chase after dialog with these cretins we give them additional credibility with anti-American world leaders and also help to disillusion those within the country who might otherwise engage in protest. What the mullahs want is time to develop its nuclear weapons program, and when we engage in a strategy of diplomacy at any cost we grant them the precious time they so stridently desire.

Playing global politics with the hopelessly naive is an easy game to win and we are far behind on the scoreboard.