SLOW BOAT TO NOWHERE - AT 7:12 A.M. ET:  That's a phrase used by the late drama critic, Walter Kerr, to describe a play that meanders around and goes nowhere.  And so we see one act of that play being performed at the G-8 conference in Italy:

Group of Eight leaders said Wednesday that they deplored last month's post-election violence in Iran, adding that while they remained committed to seeking a diplomatic solution to Iran's contentious nuclear program, if no progress is made, leaders will reach new decisions at a G-20 economic summit in Pittsburgh in late September.

New decisions, mind you.  Read all about the new decisions.  How many times have you heard about new decisions?  Has one centrifuge stopped spinning in Iran?

What's interesting here is that President Obama, a few months ago, said he'd give the Iranians until December to show progress in nuclear talks.  We sense that the Europeans, some of whom have turned tougher on Iran than Washington, felt this was too much time.  We don't know what the reaction of our fearless president was.

At the same time, the statement was apparently dumbed down to make sure that no specific action was threatened.  Doesn't that make you feel more secure? 

This crowd meets again in Pittsburgh in September.  Let's see what they actually do in regard to Iran.  There's talk of sanctions.  You know, "tough" sanctions, like the kind that have never worked.

July 9, 2009