In the Middle East there is great support for Iran's sovereignity coupled with persistent suspicion of America's unwavering and uncritical support of Israel.  Here we read about an oil deal being struck between Iran and Oman.  Here we read that the Gulf Cooperation Council will not take the hard line against Iran that Bush wishes it to take.  Russia and China are close allies of Iran and India is working closely with Iran to develop nuclear energy.  Some are saying that Iran has more influence in Iraq than the United States and claim that the Basra cease fire was negotiated by Iran.

Last year, Barack Obama set out a refreshingly reasoned diplomatic approach to Iran.  Clinton called Obama's policy on Iran "political" as if the word itself was sour and spoiled in her mouth and she had to spit it out: political.

Yet on Olbermann last night,  Clinton continued to lay out her policy that America would hit back Iran with nuclear weapons if they launched a nuclear attack on Israel. "We used it very well during the Cold War when we had a bipolar world and what I think the president should do and what our policy should be is to make it very clear to the Iranians that they would be risking massive retaliation were they to launch a nuclear attack on Israel."  I thought that political point  had been made clear.  Over and over and over.

And what of Joe Lieberman's great hope for Israel, John McCain?  McCain's policy towards Iran  is summed up in his "Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran" ditty.

Are the Iranians launching a nuclear attact on Israel?  Do they have the nuclear weapons to do such a thing? Intelligence tells us that is neither is the case.

It appears to me that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has quit the foolish speeches denying the holocaust and is spending his time toward making deals with friendly countries aimed at benefitting the status of Iran in the world at large.   Human rights are an anathema to the mullahs that run Iran and the country has an internal set of economic problems that plague it's people but Iran enjoys good relations with most countries outside of our own and Israel.  Iran today is kind of like our close ally Egypt, except the Iranian President was elected democratically and Mubarakis President for life, take it or leave it.

Only one presidential candidate, Barack Obama, has the clarity of vision -- short and long range -- regarding Iran that would benefit the interests of the United States.  The other two candidates, Hillary Clinton and John McCain, have boxed themselves into a political corner where they pander to neocons and conservative Jews who would like nothing more than a hard line stance against Iran.