Down The Memory Hole

When somebody seriously desecrates the punchbowl they aren't greeted with howls of outrage, but with silence. That's what happened yesterday when Germany's Defense Minister dared to suggest that Iran should be allowed to enrich uranium, provided there were enough safeguards. Reuters picked it up but so far there are no corroborating reports from our weak-kneed papers of record. Quite apart from the issue itself—I entirely agree with Herr Jung—the important thing to notice is that a significant sliver of Germany's leadership thinks, for whatever reason (there are many), that launching a war against Iran is a catastrophic idea. With defections like this, even if successfully papered over, it will be well neigh impossible for Condi to assemble a coalition of the willing 2.0, making any potential war on Iran more and more a purely domestic affair. The responsibility now rests squarely on the American public to set limits on its rulers.