Iran denies it established preconditions for negotiations, but this is not clear from this article.

The evidence grows ever more compelling that Tony Blair lied his way to the launching of an illegal, idiotic invasion of Iraq, partly to please G W Bush and partly for reasons of his own quasi-religious delusions.

Yes, the US squanders many hundreds of billions of dollars every year on "defense" spending, thanks to the military-industrial-Congressional complex. I agree with the writer that Eisenhower would not have been so stupid as to invade Iraq in 2003. And that the war was not brought on by the armaments manufacturers. The war was brought to the American people by the Israel lobby.

Is Israel getting ready for another murderous rampage ikn Gaza? Falk thinks the answer is yes.

A large flaw in this story is the apparent assumption the US is correct in arguing that Iran intends to develop nuclear weapons. And that sanctions are helpful.

Those who think the US squanders tens of billions each year in the supposed cause of intelligence gathering and assessing, will not change their minds by reading this article.

Those interested in this matter should check the raceforiran.com site - - Mottaki's replacement has sought better US-Iran relations, and this fact should have been mentioned in the story.

Simon Jenkins gets it right about the latest leaks. And he of course is correct that it gives outsiders and inside view of the disastrous course of American decision-making in the Middle East.

Iran's domestic nuclear power programme is hardly part of an effort to make Iran a "world power", and in any event Iran's defense budget is half that of Israel, and one-quater that of Saudi Arabia, and only 1% that of the US.

The message of this piece is a bit hard to discern. If the object is to criticise Obama for groveling before Israel, this is not clear. And if the writer thinks Obama actually has tried to engage with Iran, he is badly mistaken.

This story has new relevance in part due to the movie just out. What is most significant about this entire matter is that the CIA and Dick Cheney's gang knew the Niger documents were forgeries, long before Joe Wilson went to Niger.

Is Matt Lauer a stooge of the warmongering neocons who duped an arrogant and ignorant president into launching an illegal war based on knowingly false intelligence? In other words, is Lauer trying to help cover up war crimes, and protect those who committed those war crimes?

Story falsely represents that Obama actually sought to engage with Iran, as opposed to pretending to engage with Iran. Too many neocon warmongers and other idiot elements of the Israel lobby are within the administration.

Idiot neocon warmonger, Graham is a stooge of the Israel lobby trying to deceive the American people into believing Iran is developing nuclear weapons. The CIA has ZERO intelligence that Iran wants nukes. ZERO.

Iran's application to the IAEA to refuel the Tehran reactor should have been approved, but the US foolishly blocked it. Iran tried to restore normal relations with the US during the early 1990s, but the Israel lobby blocked it.

Astonishing Iranophobic neocon rubbish from David Broder! The CIA has NO INTELLIGENCE Iran seeks nuclear weapons. None.

Not to miss. One of the greatest crimes in recent decades was committed by the US, with encouragement from incompetent US news media. And why would anyone be surprised the US news media wish to cover up their complicity in the sheer vicious idiocy of the Iraq War?

General Sheldon fingers Paul Wolfowitz and Donald Rumsfeld for pushing hard for invasion of Iraq, based on false intelligence.

China opposes any nuclear weapons capability by Iran, so the premise of this story was suspect from the opening paragraph.

Gareth Porter shows why is is regarded highly in his reporting on the Middle East. At least, highly regarded by those wanting to know what really is going on.

Barney Frank wants the US to pull 50,000 troops out of Iraq and 15,000 out of Okinawa. For excellent reasons.

Glenn Greenwald is always worth reading (or listening to). Bravo to him for condemning idiotic warmongering of the neocon Republican senator from South Carolina, Lindsey Graham. And how seriously bad judgment on the part of Obama, to keep threatening military action against Iran while supposedly trying to engage in negotiations! I attribute some of this stupidity to Hillary Clinton.

John le Carre knocked it out of the park!

Oustanding indictment of intentionally false reporting about a non-existent Iranian nuclear threat, in US news media.

Not to be missed, especially by those who think lobbyists are undermining the Republic.

Good overview, though saying Israel has an alternative to negotiating a peace deal with the Palestinains might include the qualifier that going that route could prove a castastrophic mistake (for Israel).

A huge flaw in this piece is failing to get comment from someone who sees the "surge" as the wrong choice for Bush to have made. The surge cost in effect hundreds of billions of dollars and accomplished very little. And no engagment with Syria and Iran took place, as recommended by the Iraq Study Group.

Good point by Cole, that Eisenhower forced Israel out of the Sinai. How pathetic that more recent US presidents could not force Israel out of the West Bank and the Golan Heights. The Iraq War was not fought to open up the Iraqi oil reserves to the world market. The US was the largest buyer of Iraqi crude before the invasion. The idiot Jerry Bremer carried a copy of the US Constitutions around with him, when he was temporary Viceroy of Iraq. How stupid could he be!

This story would be better if the author acknowledged that Iran tried to prevent the idiotic US/UK invasion of Iraq even though Iran knew it would "benefit" from the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Iran and Syria offered to help the US get out of Iraq in 2006, and to help maintain stability after the US got out. Thhe moron in the White House spurned the offer.

Cogent argument for concluding US has and is acting stupidly in the Middle East by trying to isolate Hamas.

Author notes that Iran is the primary security concern today, but he does not mention the fact many Israeli leaders do not see Iran as posing an "existential" threat as trumpeted by the neocons.

Good quick summary, and it makes clear the UK sees Iranian nuclear power plants as not posing a problem proviced adequate transparency is ensured. UK apparently accepts Iranian enrichment of LEU - - in contrast to Israel.

A key point that does not come through in this piece, is that there is no evidence Iran seeks nuclear weapons. Iran most definitely is building nuclear power plants, and the Turkish government supports the civilian nuclear power programme of Iran.

Bushehr #1 is coming on line, but the story does not mention there are four more nuclear reactors in the pipeline.

Tony Karon is quite right to suggest the US should be getting Israel out of the Golan Heights, to make it easier to have better relations with Syria. Karon mentions the utter stupidity of Condleezza Rice's approach to the problems Israel has with Lebanon and Hezbollah. Obama' s effort to isolate Iran, and to isolate Hezbollah and Hamas as part of that strategy, is ill-considered.

Vicious piece of neocon warmonger propaganda. Jeff Goldberg ceaselessly promotes endless war in the greater Middle East, to "protect" Israel (and screw the American taxpayers).

Clemmons argues that the US should push hard to resolve Israel/Palestine problem to set things up for dealing with Iran. He assertts Dennis Ross is wrong to argue that the Israel/Palestine problem is not central to the Middle East situation, and America's relationship to that situation.

Dangerous false claim in this article: "But with the American intelligence community judging Iran to be on track to have nuclear weapons within two years. . ." WRONG! The CIA has ZERO intelligence the Iranian government wants nukes. ZERO.