OUR DIPLOMACY MARCHES ON - AT 7:10 A.M. ET:  The Navy Seals saved the week for President Obama, but two stories in today's New York Times suggest that his administration is determined to reverse the glow.  The first:

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration and its European allies are preparing proposals that would shift strategy toward Iran by dropping a longstanding American insistence that Tehran rapidly shut down nuclear facilities during the early phases of negotiations over its atomic program, according to officials involved in the discussions.

The proposals, exchanged in confidential strategy sessions with European allies, would press Tehran to open up its nuclear program gradually to wide-ranging inspection. But the proposals would also allow Iran to continue enriching uranium for some period during the talks. That would be a sharp break from the approach taken by the Bush administration, which had demanded that Iran halt its enrichment activities, at least briefly to initiate negotiations.

And the second:

North Korea vowed Tuesday to restore the nuclear facilities that it had been disabling and boycott international talks on its nuclear weapons program to protest against the U.N. Security Council’s reaction to its recent rocket launching.

The North Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued through the country’s official KCNA agency that it “resolutely condemns” the statement by the United Nations.

It was the Pyongyang’s first reaction to the Security Council’s unanimous condemnation on Monday of the April 5 rocket launch, which North Korea says sent a satellite into space. The United States and others say that it was aimed at testing long-range missile technology.

COMMENT:  Regarding the first, the change in policy would insure that Iran makes progress in its nuclear program while engaged in talks.  That progress cannot be taken back.  And other news sources report that Washington is rejecting proposals, by members of Congress and by the Israelis, that a time limit be placed on talks with Iran to prevent Tehran from exploiting them to advance its research. 

Regarding the second, North Korea is reacting to a ludicrously weak UN statement.  Yet, there appears to be no real punishment for the North Korean defiance of past resolutions.

Even the Navy Seals, great as they are, cannot make up for this march to appeasement.  The president has nothing to show for his diplomacy in his first three months in office except 1) getting a lot of applause for himself in Europe and 2) contrasting himself with President Bush.  The only time he actually gained, in anything international, is when he authorized force against the pirates off Somalia. 

It is true, as a late commander of NATO, Gen. Lauris Norstad, said, that "toughness is not a policy."  But neither is weakness.  We hope the president has learned from the last week that a bit of spine is required in international affairs.  Without it, we can easily get negotiated to death. 

April 14, 2009