Speaking of Liberal Oasis, Bill Scher has an entry we need to highlight today:
You’d think folks would learn.
Recall that back in November 2002, the US persuaded the UN to vote to send inspectors back into Iraq.
And the pundits were in consensus: Powell wins! The neocons are defeated! Bush embraces multilateralism!
But it is clear, in retrospect, that the UN was used by Bush so he could pretend every diplomatic channel was exhausted before going in (and appease a skittish Tony Blair).
Similarly, how many times have we heard that Bush has shifted course in North Korea, and is serious about negotiating an agreement?Now, the media are falling for it again, as a “senior administration official” told reporters trailing Bush in Europe that there is a “shift” in “attitude” (as opposed to actual policy) regarding how to handle Iran.
