" ... we have a situation in which not only is Iran exporting terrorism through Hamas, through Hezbollah, ..." - Obama

Aside from the nuclear weapon fabrication, does anyone recall the McCain kerfluffel that confused Iranian Shiites with Sunni el Qaeda?

Obama is infected!

Hamas is Sunni, which means they have no affection for Shiite Iran. If anything, they are aligned with Saudi Arabian and Egyptian Sunnis, the breeding ground for al Qaeda.

Until a decade ago, Iran did have military advisors assisting Hezbollah. But, there's no evidence that they have exported terrorism - or anything else - to Gaza.

McCain was "called out" on his error. Obama needs to be purged of the McCain ignorance infection.

After the historic and beautifully executed night in Grant Park (where and when Barack Obama gave his acceptance speech), in addition to probable exhaustion from a two year campaign, and the psychological and emotional impact from the realization of winning the presidential election...

immediately after being "briefed", he seemed to have aged about ten years.

Perhaps that is because he now knows many realities for some less than popular and seemingly sense-less and irresponsible actions of the last eight years.

Thinking and knowing are often quite different.

Maybe there has been a check on reality.

and as explained in this little missive below, America is being royally duped into pursuing Israel's territorial ambitions. or is that Bin Ladens ambitions?

Michael Scheuer put it well in the opening paragraph of his book, Imperial Hubris:

"As I complete this book, U.S., British, and other coalition forces are trying to govern apparently ungovernable postwar states in Afghanistan and Iraq, while simultaneously fighting growing Islamist insurgencies in each – a state of affairs our leaders call victory. In conducting these activities, and the conventional military campaigns preceding them, U.S. forces and policies are completing the radicalization of the Islamic world, something Osama bin Laden has been trying to do with substantial but incomplete success since the early 1990s. As a result, I think it fair to conclude that the United States of America remains bin Laden's only indispensable ally."

As Forrest Gump said, "Stoopid is as stoopid does."

...Back then, Obama was touting as authoritative the NIE's finding that "Iran halted its nuclear weapon development program four years ago." Yesterday, with no explanation, he embraced the opposite of the NIE's finding and claimed that they were still pursuing nuclear weapons...

It is easy to criticize the Establishment until you are part of it. Then they own you. Obama has been given his orders.

Don't blame me, I voted for Ron Paul.

...the nuclear arms race in the Middle east started when Israel acqired them. Seems to me that Obama's selective memory is typical and personifies the reasons that the Arab, Persian and Muslim world so dislikes America and it's hypocritical and ignorant foreign policies. How come none of you intellectual giants there have made this fact obvious to the "Super Jesus man from The other side of the tracks, saviour of America, truth and Justice"? Seems like you all ahve such a limited capacity to absorb facts. Is it because of the water you drink?

Want to hear an oxymoron? American intelligence.

Iran is pursuing nuclear power and even if it wanted to develop nuclear weapons it is a decade away from producing sufficient material for a single device

Iran has lots of oil and gas, and doesn't need nuclear anything. What you wrote about "a decade away" is false, not to mention that we don't know the true extent of their nuke program (they are a closed religio-fascist society).

soon the UAE (with USA assistance) with nuclear weapons

False (who the hell told you that?)

Iran is pursuing nuclear power and even if it wanted to develop nuclear weapons it is a decade away from producing sufficient material for a single device. Contrast that to India, Pakistan, or even Israel that is believed to have more than 100 nuclear bombs at hand. Consider that the Bush administration is pushing for approval to provide UAE with nuclear capabilities. Then look at a map and see where Iran sits surrounded by Iraq on one side and Afghanistan on the other side, both occupied by the US which is busily building permanent military bases in both countries, and then there is Israel and soon the UAE (with USA assistance) with nuclear weapons. Iran has every right to be paranoid considering the actions of the past three US administrations and the type of people that Obama has selected to advise him at the White House. Obama's foreign policy, rhetoric aside, appears to be less a change in direction than a change of actors.

Obama: Iranians "are pursuing a nuclear weapon that could potentially trigger a nuclear arms race"

It's difficult to take this statement out of the context of Obama's pandering to the Israeli Lobby, not just on Gaza, but on the crucial fabrication required to demonize Iran. If the "pursuing a nuclear weapon" story is false, as all of our intelligence agencies and U.N. inspectors say it is, then Isreal has lost the satanic threat that justifies U.S. support for their overwrought military establishment.

On the other hand, Obama may have simply misspoken, omitting the critical qualifier of most administration allegations of an Iranian desire to pursue a nuclear weapon. This is a Bushism: merely wishing it to be so is a terrorist act, justifying preemptive retaliation (ala Iraq).

The most interesting element of this evasion of truth is the notable absence of any mention of the fact that Israel long ago instigated the motive for a "nuclear arms race" in the Middle East, by producing dozens - maybe hundreds - of nuclear weapons in total secret, violating many international treaties, and offering no public commitment to restraint in using them.

An act of courage for Obama would be to call on Israel to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty [NPT] on nuclear weapons and submit themselves to U.N. inspections. That would certainly earn him a Badge of Courage from those who believe truth should dictate foreign policy, not whimsical fears.