THE WORST DOUBLE-TALK – AT 8:07 A.M. ET:  It's getting to the point where you have to examine every presidential word to try to figure out what Obama means, if he means anything.  Today he spoke out on Iran, one of the gravest challenges we face.  The result, when you look at it closely, was disturbing:

Evidence shows Iran is attempting to develop nuclear weapons, U.S. President Barack Obama told CBS on Friday, adding that he felt his administration should continue the pressure on Tehran to cooperate with the international community over its contentious nuclear program.

In an interview to "The Early Show" Friday, Obama said "all the evidence indicates" that Tehran is trying to get the "capacity to develop nuclear weapons."

With such a capability, Obama said that Iran could "destabilize" life in the Mideast and trigger an arms race in the region, adding that, for that reason, he felt "the idea here is to keep on turning up the pressure."

"We're going to ratchet up the pressure and examine how they respond but we're going to do so with a unified international community," Obama said.

COMMENT:  Please notice that, after all the tough-guy rhetoric, the most important word in that statement was "but" – "but we're going to do so with a unified international community." 

They must be celebrating in the Iranian Ministry of Pure Thoughts and Long Skirts today.  The president essentially gave up the idea of any unilateral American action, even though everyone over the age of six knows there won't be any unified international community...unless you define unity as agreement to frown at the Iranians, and little more.

China has been stressing all week that it opposes tough sanctions on Iran, and China holds veto power in the Security Council.  It absolutely opposes military action against Tehran.

An Iranian diplomat, visiting China, said yesterday that his country sees sanctions as an opportunity, and he's probably right.

Again, Mr. Obama believes his mouth can solve a major international problem, or at least explain it away.  Think of the Mideast ten years from now, with Iran a nuclear power.  That is the proper reply to the president.

April 2,  2010