Iran, The Walk-Back

This report suggests that the US is prepared to give Iran nuclear technology for civilian purposes if it pledges to stop enriching uranium. While I've been wary to see other supposed "concessions" by the US regarding Iran as legitimate, this one is seismic: it essentially allows Iran to be as good as their word, which is nothing short of surprising. There may be some other things in the full list of demands that would preclude Iran's acceptance, but from where I'm standing this so far looks like an actual concession, which for this White House is about as rare as an ivory-billed woodpecker.

Tom Ball at Political Cortex has a rundown of all the belligerent statements this Administration has made regarding Iran, and you can't finish reading that post and think anything but that this is the mother of all flip-flops. And his final analysis is this:

Whether it's Iran's capacity to distribute nuclear technology around the globe, (one of the few leveraging tools in its box), or the knowledge that Iran is perhaps already loaded with nukes, or the frightening prospect of a biblically-proportioned ass-whooping the Republicans are facing in the 2006 and 2008 elections, one thing is for sure...

... this administration has flinched because they are afraid of something... ...very afraid.

I don't know if I'd be that conspiratorial. Of course, I don't think this group decided to put "give Iran nuclear technology" on that list willingly. The truth is that the US desperately needs Iran's help to extricate itself from Iraq. The leverage has shifted drastically from before the war onto the Iranians' side. Stateside political concerns are probably a factor as well. That's probably the most likely reason for stopping the saber-rattling, in fact, as everything in this White House is political. Attacking Iran would be incredibly shortsighted and foolish, and an invitation to disaster - but that hasn't stopped these guys before. I see no learning from mistakes in any other policy. It must be that another war right now would be politically dangerous. And these are supposed to be the guys who don't govern by polls.