The Poodle Is Off Bush’s Leash

Brian Brady for Scotsman News reports Blair refuses to back Iran strike. Tony Blair has told George Bush that Britain cannot offer military support to any strike on Iran, regardless of whether the move wins the backing of the international community, government sources claimed yesterday. … "The only long-term solution to Iran's problems is democracy," said Alex Bigham, co-author of the FPC report. "But it cannot be dictated, Iraq-style, or it will backfire. Iran may seem superficially like Iraq but we need to treat Iran more like Libya. Diplomatic engagement must be allowed to run its course. There need to be bigger carrots as well as bigger sticks." --- Embellishing his report with a dash of deadpan humor, Brady says: "In a declaration aimed at America's allies as much as Iran, [Condoleeza] Rice claimed the Security Council's handling of the Iranian nuclear issue would be a test of the international community's credibility." via Steve Soto