Armageddon postponed - for now!

An interesting week in Iran and Venezuela, and to some extent in Iraq and Korea too -- not to forget the big sham of a peace-meeting for the Middle-East by Bush, the Born-Again Peacemaker!

New data, new methods, new conclusion on Iran

The report (pdf) that says Iran is no longer actively pursuing nuclear weapons contains more specific intelligence than did a murkier report in 2005, say officials who have read both.

So, maybe Bush is admitting finally that Seymour Hersh was right all along - 1, 2, 3 - about the hidden war with Iran. This article in Time magazine suggests it is Bush doing an about-face...finally giving way to reason instead of neocon rhetoric and sabre-rattling?

Bombing Iran, it seems, is now off the table. There's no other reasonable take on the latest National Intelligence Estimate that concludes Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003. But there is also no doubt that the Bush White House was behind this NIE. While the 16 intelligence agencies that make up the "intelligence community" contribute to each National Intelligence Estimate, you can bet that an explosive, 180-degree turn on Iran like this one was greenlighted by the President.

That said..he still is carrying on the rhetoric that Iran is still dangerous and that 'nothing's changed.'

Maybe this 'stay the course' attitude is just to show the Democrats blasting him on his Iran policy that he is not a flip-flopper - after all, it is just a little over a month since Bush raised the spectre of World War III if Iran were allowed to continue its suspected nuclear bomb program.

Meanwhile, the neocons, never to be underestimated, are probably planning alternative strategies. Afterall, the line between 'civilian' and 'military' nuclear programs is a thin one.

And now moving to an interesting week in Venezuela! Coming close on the heels of a report that the CIA was trying to destabilize the Chavez government, is a welcome shot-in-the-arm for democracy in Venezuela this week. However, before rejoicing too much read this post at the Huffingtonpost on why Chavez's Defeat is a Victory for Chavez and an interesting analysis in Time magazine to understand better why Venezuelans turned on Chavez.

Meanwhile...a quiet month in Iraq but are the insurgents just re-loading?

A calmer Iraq: Fragile, and possibly fleeting The reduced violence in Iraq in recent months stems from three significant developments, all of which can be reversed, and on relatively short notice.

And last but not least... North Korea -- A US Envoy announced today that progress on disabling North Korea's nuclear site is 'going well.' Amen!

So...good news all around. Neocon agenda in Iran curbed. North Korea nuclear sites being disabled (not dismantled, mind you), Iraq is quiet, democracy rocks Venezuela. Armageddon postponed - for now!