After my previous pessimism over an attack on Iran, it seems that Condoleeza Rice has been able to prevail over Cheney and the Neocon ideas of bigger and better wars than we have so far seen in Iraq. Rice of course has had hands on experience of Iraq and so is in as good a position as anyone to comment.
“Mr Bush’s decision to send the number three in the State Department, William Burns, to attend talks with Iran in Geneva at the weekend caused howls of outrage that were heard all the way from the State Department’s sanctuary of Foggy Bottom to the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue. A parallel initiative to reopen the interest’s section of the American embassy in Tehran, which would be the first return of a diplomatic presence on Iranian territory since 1979, has also received a cool response from neo-conservatives.” Source Independent 18/7/2008

John Bolton and the like are now complaining about yet another u-turn which will give a signal to Iran that they can do what they like. Rice has pointed out that internationally there is complete unity in the opposition to Iran’s programme so diplomacy has replaced belligerence.