Be afraid. Be very afraid:
Global powers and Iran are close to a preliminary deal to rein in Tehran's nuclear program and should not pass up a "very good chance" to clinch it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in remarks broadcast on Saturday.
His upbeat comments in a television interview came a day after a senior U.S. official said it was possible a deal could be reached when negotiators meet in Geneva from November 20.
Yeah. The Russians would never try to screw us over!
Ignatius thinks that the president is right to pursue a deal rather than risk the problems that come with simply tightening the screws on Iran:
Better to seek a turn in relations with Iran through diplomacy that can limit its nuclear program, Obama reasons. He’s right.
Of course, being right assumes Iran wants better relations with the Great Satan on anything but Iran's terms that involve us just accepting whatever Iran wants in regard to nuclear programs.
And being right assumes that diplomacy actually limits Iran's nuclear programs.
But I suspect that getting a deal--any deal--is the administration's objective. The glow of the signing ceremony will allow President Obama and his idiot savante, John Kerry (the man knows watercraft!), to take a victory lap; while the realization that we achieved nothing won't be discovered until long after they are out of public office.
Come on! We all know the broad outline of the deal Russia wants to engineer and that President Obama is willing to accept:
Iran pretends to stop or slow certain nuclear work.
The West pretends to believe Iran is no longer advancing toward nuclear weapons.
The West relaxes and eventually ends trade sanctions.
Russia then gets to sell Iran advanced air defense weapons that can be used to protect Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
Iran goes nuclear and becomes a major thorn in our side.
Russia has a super sparkly day thinking about us coping with that problem.
John Kerry dusts his Nobel Peace Prize every week, without fail.
The Saudis lead the way to regional nuclear proliferation.
