A Thousand Words

This is a picture that is sure to break the heart of neocons everywhere...



It is Iraqi President Jalal Talabani having a jovial meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran yesterday. The two met to discuss issues of regional stability, most prominently controlling the violence in Iraq.

I am sure that the President and the neocon ghostwriters of his foreign policy never, ever set out to further destabilize the region, reunite the long-time enemies of Iraq and Iran, and have us reach out to a member of the 'axis of evil' to help us clean up our mess... but there you have it.

This outcome was predicted by some on the left, but that warning, as with the rest in 2002/2003, was discarded as the whinings of weak fools by the 'sensible' fools who helped lead us into disaster. This is the price of messianic hubris.

For better or worse, we have to live with this. It's their region; not ours. Theoretically, they want it under control as much as we do. They have the real stake in that.

Oh, and this would of course be a lovely time to start becoming energy independent, no?

[AP: Iraqi president seeks Iran's help]