Bush May End Term With Iran Issue Unsettled
(New York Times)…Helene Cooper
For more than five years now, President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have made clear that they did not want to leave office with Iran any closer to possessing nuclear weapons than when they took office.

Israeli Maneuvers Demonstrate Unease Over Iran
(Wall Street Journal)…Jay Solomon and Yochi J. Dreazen
…U.S. officials Friday confirmed a report in the New York Times that Israel recently mounted a large-scale military exercise in the Eastern Mediterranean that appeared designed to hone the tactical skills needed in any future military strike against Iran’s nuclear installations.

Israel Conducted War Games, U.S. Officials Report
(Washington Post)…Robin Wright
…The mock operation reflected a growing policy schism over Iran among major international players at a time when U.S. politics may freeze major decisions until a new administration is in place, its officials are confirmed and a policy review is complete.

In Europe, Bush Makes Gains On Iran, Afghanistan
(Wall Street Journal)…Alistair MacDonald and John D. McKinnon

Winding down his European tour, President Bush won enough support on two key issues — sanctions against Iran and troops in Afghanistan — to allow him to return home bearing gifts.

POST: I want to access the Iranian people.
Thomas P.M. Barnett on June 19, 2008

Comments on the following article on the need to distinguish between the desires of most of the Iranian people and their leaders.

Stars (and Stripes) in Their Eyes, Washingtopn Post, By Azadeh Moaveni, Sunday, June 1, 2008; B01

Most of the Middle East hates America, but Iranians see a more appealing image. It’s their own president they can’t stand.

Although their leaders still call America the “Great Satan,” ordinary Iranians’ affection for the United States seems to be thriving these days, at least in the bustling capital. This rekindled regard is evident in people’s conversations, their insatiable demand for U.S. products and culture, and their fascination with the U.S. presidential campaign. One can’t do reliable polling about Iranians’ views under their theocratic government, of course, but these shifts were still striking to me as a longtime visitor — not least because liking the United States is also a way for Iranians to register their frustration with their own firebrand president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

It might startle some Americans to realize that Iran has one of the most pro-American populations in the Middle East. Iranians have adored America for nearly three decades, a sentiment rooted in nostalgia for Iran’s golden days, before the worst of the shah’s repression and the 1979 Islamic revolution. But today’s affection is new, in a sense, or at least different.

Iran Unmoved By Threats On Its Atomic Program
(New York Times)…Steven Lee Myers and Nicholas Kulish

Increasingly tough warnings from President Bush and his European allies have done nothing to temper Iran’s stance on its nuclear program, worsening the confrontation over what American officials and others suspect is a covert Iranian plan to build an atomic bomb.

Case Builds For Military Strike On Iran. (Miami Herald)…Dion Nissenbaum, McClatchy News Service

The possibility of a military strike against Iran is getting a new hearing in the face of Israeli pressure and fresh concerns over President Ahmadinejad’s nuclear ambitions.

Bush Won’t Rule Out Iran Attack.  (Los Angeles Times)…Associated Press.

President Bush on Wednesday reiterated the possibility of a military strike to thwart Iran’s presumed nuclear weapons ambitions, though he also repeated that he favored a diplomatic solution.

POST: Obama and McCain spar on Iran

No talks between us and Iran prevent the reach for the bomb
Why do we get so wobbly over Iran? We have met this package (nation-state/failed revolutionary power talking trash and sporting new nukes) twice before and finessed it nicely (and frankly, both the USSR and PRC were far more successful).

We learn to accept our lack of leverage here or we’re going to be consistently flabbergasted at our lack of success–as in, more of the same old, same old.

Our problem remains the same: we are unable to see the strategic reality for what it is and we’re

This posting in contrast with the article:  Prepare to Attack, (USA Today)…Daniel Pipes, June 11, 2008 , Pg. 10

Daniel Pipes (www.DanielPipes.org) is director of the Middle East Forum think tank and a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution.

…Only by convincing Tehran that it will never be allowed to have nuclear weapons can Washington persuade it to terminate its program, avoiding the need for a military campaign. This can yet be attained, but it requires a basic shift in U.S. policy.

First, the Bush administration must prepare for a possible attack on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and, second, signal this publicly. (Israeli leaders should do likewise, as some have done already.) Third, the administration must weather the inevitable tsunami of criticism. Fourth, it should encourage those governments most opposed to such an attack — including the European Union, Russia and China — to lean on Tehran to end its nuclear program.

If George W. Bush’s term ends with a McCain victory, Bush will likely punt, allowing McCain to decide on the next steps. But Obama’s intention to continue with current failed policies suggests that, if he wins, and despite the tradition of outgoing presidents not undertaking major initiatives, Bush might initiate military action against Iran.

Daniel Pipes (www.DanielPipes.org) is director of the Middle East Forum think tank and a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution.