Diplomacy with Iran

LA Times: Reviews the US talks with Iran over its march to a nuclear bomb, the articles states the following, "...........stop handling Iran's leaders with kid gloves. It wasn't becoming, they didn't deserve it and -- worst of all -- it didn't produce results. " It has been reported that Iran has rejected the nuclear deal offered by the UN, so what now, well Obama can start to remember that he is President of the United States, not the head of the EU, this might turn in to his Cuban Missile Crisis, does not matter if he wants it, that the stark reality, and no he cant do a secret deal as JFK did with the Russians over Turkey in 1962, in essence Kennedy sold out Turkey, Kennedy would remove NATO nuclear missiles under US control a few months after the Cuban Missile Crisis was resolved. In this case Obama cant sell out Israel, they are already nuclear armed, they will not tolerate a nuclear armed Iran. Thus as with Afghanistan, Obama is in a tight spot, liberals want to appease at any cost, while Republicans want the President to be a hawk, thus Afghanistan and Iran will define the Obama Presidency, get either wrong and we could see Hillary Clinton running in 2012, the Clintons will not allow their reputations to be seen as annex of an Obama Presidency that turns in to rerun of Neville Chamberlain.

Is Hillary running in 2012 ?

The Sunday Times: Reports on the supportive statements by the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the policy of Israel towards the Palestinian people. Does one smell a rat here, is Hillary Clinton thinking about 2012; just getting support from the Israeli; does she think Obama is an empty suit due to his dithering over Afghanistan, his failure with Iran, the jobless economic recovery, the general US voter apposition to his health care reform, are the Clintons, this is Hillary and Bill thinking this could be pay back time for Obama, could they pull a Reagan of 1976. In 1976 Reagan then former Governor of California ran against a sitting Republican President, President Ford, Reagan came within a hundred votes of beating Ford, does any one doubt that he would have beaten Jimmy Carter. One would not be that surprised if Mrs Clinton was to resign in 2010 and start to visit Iowa for a holiday or New Hampshire, just to see the sights of course, and repay Obama for beating the Clintons in 2008. Politics is a brutal game, that's the fun folks.

Dr Abdullah Abdullah OUT of Second Afghan Election

BBC News: Reports that Dr Abdullah the former Afghanistan Foreign Minister has withdrawn from the second round of the Afghanistan Presidential Election. It seems that Dr Abullah was worried that the second round would only repeat the fraud of the first round. On the whole this is good news, no need for UK troops to secure the polling stations against attack from the Taliban/Al Qaeda, what the points of having a second round if there is only one candidate, if the second round goes ahead and soldiers are either hurt or die whats would be the point, as stated in this blog, months ago, it seems like years that President Karzai would win the Afghan Election, that was already set in stone, what we have seen shadow boxing within Afghan politics and a turf fight in the West Wing between VP Biden who wants to scale back troops in Afghanistan and use drones to attack Taliban/ Al Qaeda in Pakistan and the US military who want to give the troops as requested by US Commander on the ground, General McChrystal. If we are stuck in Afghanistan and are nation building lets get going, all this shadow boxing is helping the Taliban/Al Qaeda.

Death in Afghanistan

MOD: Reports that another British Soldier has died in Afghanistan, the soldier was from the " Royal Logistic Corps " Thus since 2001 the UK has lost 224 of its Armed Forces Personnel in Afghanistan, of that total 193 have died in combat operations, while another 31 have died due to illness, accidents or other incidents.