IRANIAN FARCE – AT 8:53 A.M. ET:  The Western talks with Iran over its nuclear program have pretty much fizzled, although, natch, they've scheduled another meeting for next month, in Vladimir Putin's Moscow.  Can you wait?

The meeting in Baghdad over the last few days produced nothing.  There was some "expectation" that an interim agreement would result, but they didn't even get that far.  It's obvious that these talks have only one real objective – buying time.  The Iranians want the time to bring their nuclear-weapons program to fruition.  President Obama wants to buy time to get beyond the November election without an international incident, like an Israeli strike on Iran, to gum up the works.  His casualness in dealing with Iran can produce a catastrophe down the road. 

The American diplomat in charge of our end of the negotiations, Wendy Sherman, is rushing to Israel to assure the Israelis of our continued support.  Basically, it's a campaign trip, and the air fare should be paid by the Obama campaign.  I suspect this expression of support will contain a thinly veiled warning not to attack Iran before our election. 

At the same time, we learn from an AP dispatch this morning that UN inspectors have found traces of uranium at Iran's Fordo plant that have been enriched to 27%.  We had thought 20% was the highest point the Iranians had reached, but we're always being surprised.  Surprise parties are nice, aren't they?

Basically, the negotiations have turned into a series of meetings to plan other meetings.  We are getting nowhere, and the Iranians are getting somewhere.  And that is the danger here.

May 25,  2012