ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø

When President Obama declared that we should try diplomacy with Iran before war, it was fascinating, and a little disconcerting, to watch his army of critics strike back. In a brash bellowing for war that amounted to an ultimatum to the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that bombing Iran was still the answer. Presidential hopefuls Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney, as well as other Republicans, declared the president to be, in effect, feckless, reckless, naïve, and misguided in planning to talk to Iranian mullahs. The irony is that Obama’s Iran policy is remarkably close to that of the Bush administration and the Romney campaign. To prove it, Obama delivered the toughest message of his presidency to the Iranian leadership. He will stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. He will not support containment, as it might lead others in the region to go nuclear. He has Israel’s back. And he is not bluffing.