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With all the hoopla around domestic issues such as health care reform, the economy, birthers, deathers, tea partiers, and other distractions, the spotlight has been absent from our much improved foreign policy under President Obama. In the echo chamber of the celebrity and fun-house mirror world of the so-called traditional media, folks wonder aloud why President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Here is an example
The U.S. and its allies hoped to secure Iran's approval Friday for a proposed deal that would ship most of the country's uranium abroad for enrichment and ease Western fears about Iran's potential to make a nuclear weapon.
Allies in this case are France and Russia. Remember "freedom fries" (gastronomical trivia: French fries were originally from Belgium)? And when the Russians were still commies or something?
How about the "Axis of Evil?" and "we don't talk to __________(fill in the blank).
The draft agreement was formalized Wednesday after three days of talks in Vienna between Iran and world powers, including the U.S. The talks followed a similar meeting at the beginning of October in Geneva that included the highest-level bilateral contact between the U.S. and Iran in years. (bold mine)
Under the Vienna-brokered plan, Iran is required to send 1.2 tons (1,100 kilograms) of low-enriched uranium - around 70 percent of its stockpile - to Russia in one batch by the end of the year, French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said Thursday.
The uranium would be further enriched in Russia, then go to France where it would be made into fuel rods that would be sent back to Iran for use in an unfortunately aging reactor.
Now, I'm not a fan of nuclear power, never was. But the stuff is out and about, and it's way better to have it under some form of control.
There is no certainty Iran will approve the agreement, but it's gotten this far! People are talking! The world is engaging!
It doesn't seem like a lot, because eight years of Bush & Co caused so many problems. But still, it's a vast, vast improvement.
