MORE BLUNDERING – AT 8:56 A.M. ET:  After a week in which a leaked memo revealed that the secretary of defense had warned the president about the weakness of our Iran policy, and another leaked memo warned that Iran could have a missile capable of reaching the U.S. by 2015, how does the U.S. Government respond?  Why, show a little kindness:

SINGAPORE (AP) -- The U.S. has ruled out a military strike against Iran's nuclear program any time soon, hoping instead negotiations and United Nations sanctions will prevent the Middle East nation from developing nuclear weapons, a top U.S. defense department official said Wednesday.

''Military force is an option of last resort,'' Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy said during a press briefing in Singapore. ''It's off the table in the near term.''

Did she have to say "off the table"?  Did she have to signal, once again, that the Obamans are putting no serious pressure on the Iranians?  You know, a little strategic ambiguity wouldn't hurt here.  Instead, every discussion on Iran seems to end with the ghost of Neville Chamberlain showing up and doing his number, complete with choreography.

The U.S. and its allies fear Tehran is using its nuclear program to build arms. Iran denies the charges, and says its program only aims to generate electricity.

''Right now the focus is a combination of engagement and pressure in the form of sanctions,'' Flournoy said. ''We have not seen Iran engage productively in response.''

Iran has rejected a 2009 U.N.-backed plan that offered nuclear fuel rods to Tehran in exchange for Iran's stock of lower-level enriched uranium. The swap would curb Tehran's capacity to make a nuclear bomb.

COMMENT:  Terms like "off the table" should never be used.  I know, I know – she was only talking about "any time soon," but the message conveyed to Tehran is one of weakness and drift, reinforcing the image of our policy that already exists.

Many reporters have said that the Obama administration is privately reconciled to an Iranian bomb, hoping deterrence will save us.  That would be consistent with the kind of thinking this crowd does, if "thinking" is not too strong a word.   

I'm not sure I want to put our future in the hands of the Iranian mullahs, but some on the left seem to think it's a fine idea.

April 21, 2010