> Yes, but it's just as likely that the U.S. could be moving in a
> different direction and could be serious about "engaging"
> (befriending) Iran.
Is it? When has the US ever done that with a client state that escaped its control? You might cite China, I suppose; but that was in the context of the cold war, and China was useful to play against the USSR. Against whom would Islamic Iran be useful?
This sounds more like hope-n-change wishful thinking than anything else, I'm afraid. There appears to be little real basis for believing that "the US is moving in a different direction."
Au contraire: what seems very clear from the first few months of the current administration is that continuity is much more in evidence than its opposite. The language is a bit nicer (except from the Mad Bomber herself, Hillary Clinton) but the practice appears essentially unchanged.
Speaking of Yoshie, I move that she be invited back. Now if ever is the time. *chortle, chortle*
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Michael Smith mjs at smithbowen.net http://stopmebeforeivoteagain.org