QUOTE OF THE DAY - AT 8:09 A.M. ET:  From Mideast expert Amir Taheri, whom I will hear tomorrow at a Hudson Institute meeting, writing in the Wall Street Journal:

Tehran plays a patient game. Wherever possible, it is determined to pursue its goals through open political means, including elections. With pro-American and other democratic groups disheartened by the perceived weakness of the Obama administration, Tehran hopes its allies will win all the elections planned for this year in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.

"There is this perception that the new U.S. administration is not interested in the democratization strategy," a senior Lebanese political leader told me. That perception only grows as President Obama calls for an "exit strategy" from Afghanistan and Iraq. Power abhors a vacuum, which the Islamic Republic of Iran is only too happy to fill.

COMMENT:  Relate, please, to the stories below.  Taheri refers to the "perceived weakness" of the Obama administration, and the view that Obama isn't interested in democratization.  Tehran is responding to those perceptions.  And can the Islamists who dream of taking over Pakistan and its nuclear weapons be far behind?

Some argue that Mr. Obama's outreach policy is simply a tactic to get other nations on our side and that, in the end, he will understand that tough actions may need to be taken.  The problem is that a perception of weakness tends to build, and nations start to distance themselves from the United States in the belief that the weakness will continue.  There may be a point where reversal becomes almost impossible.  Carter never recovered from the perception (and reality) that he was weak internationally.  We hope Obama is more adept than Carter, which is setting a rather low standard.

May 4, 2009