OUR EMBARRASSMENT - AT 8:48 A.M. ET:  Do you remember the good old days, when Americans prided themselves at often taking principled stands internationally, while chiding the Europeans for their appeasement and commercial interests?  Ah yes, I remember it well.

But what a difference an election makes.  From the Christian Science Monitor:

PARIS - Europe's strong advocacy for more sanctions on Iran – led by France, Germany, and Britain – will now wait for the Oct. 1 talks between Washington and Tehran to play out, analysts here say.

Europe's leaders have talked an increasingly tough line on Iran sanctions, including cutting off imports of oil and gasoline, should Iran not satisfy nuclear demands by the United Nations (UN) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) by the end of September. That deadline is now trumped by the Oct. 1 talks.

And...

"The EU has so far been able to agree to sanctions stronger than the UN asked for," says Bruno Tertrais of the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris. "The consensus position on Iran is fairly hawkish."

But here's the shame:

How long the unity will last among European Union members, given that some of them have large commercial interests at stake, is unclear, he says. But he also adds that "If the EU is divided, it is also because of the lack of a clear US policy."

COMMENT:  I'm afraid our policy gets more clear by the day.  Appeasement.  Extensive talks about talks, leading to endless talks.

It's now widely believed in many circles that we've given up on stopping Iranian nukes, just as we've given up missile defense systems for Eastern Europe. 

Why is it that our enemies seem to have gotten stronger since Obama took office?  Just asking.

September 17, 2009