And please scroll down for the punchline.
Here is a timeline of the Obama administration’s Iran policy, as the world’s most dangerous nation and leading state sponsor of terrorism moves inexorably towards acquiring the world’s most dangerous weapon.
- “My expectation would be that if we can begin discussions soon, shortly after the Iranian elections, we should have a fairly good sense by the end of the year as to whether they are moving in the right direction.” President Obama, May 18, 2009, Washington, D.C.
- “The opportunity will not remain open indefinitely.” Secretary Clinton, July 15, 2009, Washington, D.C.
- “We are not going to keep the window open forever.” Secretary Clinton, July 22, 2009, Bangkok, Thailand.#more#
- “The Iranians may simply try to run out the clock.” Defense Secretary Robert Gates, July 27, 2009.
- “Our patience is not infinite. We’re not willing to let this go on forever.” State Department spokesman Ian Kelly, September 14, 2009, Washington, D.C.
- “If Iran does not take steps in the near future to live up to its obligations, then the United States will not continue to negotiate indefinitely. . . . Our patience is not unlimited.” President Obama, October 1, 2009, Washington, D.C.
- “We are in what we hope is an intensive diplomatic phase now. It will not be open-ended.” Senior U.S. official, October 1, 2009, Geneva, Switzerland.
- “I don’t think that there’s a hard-and-fast deadline. . . .What we have said all along is that this is not an open-ended process, we are not in this just to talk for talk’s sake. . . . We expect prompt, concrete steps to be taken over the next couple of weeks.” State department spokesman Kelly, October 2, 2009, Washington, D.C.
- “We are running out of time” President Obama, November 15, 2009, Shanghai, China.
- “Time is running out for Iran to address the international community’s growing concerns about its nuclear program.” Press Secretary Gibbs, November 29, 2009, Washington, D.C.
- “Iran has to live up to its international obligations. . . . The president has said that our patience is not unlimited.” State Deptartment spokesman Kelly, November 30, 2009, Washington, D.C.
- “The window is closing.” National Security adviser Jim Jones, December 2, 2009, Washington, D.C.
- “Iran’s nuclear program . . . there was going to be a time limit . . .” President Obama, March 30, 2010, Washington, D.C.
- “We’ve said to the Iranians all along . . . we still remain open to diplomacy. But it’s been very clear that the Iranians don’t want to engage with us.” Secretary Hillary Clinton, September 19, 2010.
- “We want to see the Iranians engage, and as you know, we have attempted to bring about that engagement over the course of the last three-plus years. It has not proven effective.” Secretary Hillary Clinton, December 12, 2011, Washington, D.C.
- “To resolve this issue will require Iran to come to the table and discuss in a clear and forthright way how to prove to the international community that the intentions of their nuclear program are peaceful. . . . The question is going to be whether in these discussions they show themselves moving clearly in that direction.” President Obama, March 6, 2012, Washington, D.C.
- “That window is closing.” President Obama, March 25, 2012, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- “Time is short.” President Obama, March 26, 2102, Seoul, Republic of Korea,
- “Iran’s window of opportunity . . . will not remain open forever.” Secretary Clinton, March 31, 2012, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- ”They assert that their program is purely peaceful. . . . We want them to demonstrate clearly in the actions they propose that they have truly abandoned any nuclear weapons ambition.” Secretary Clinton, April 12, 2012, Washington, D.C.
- ”That window is closing. . . . Now, the clock is ticking. . . . We’re not going to have these talks just drag out in a stalling process. . . . We haven’t given away anything — other than the opportunity for us to negotiate ” President Obama, April 15, 2012, Cartagena, Columbia.
- “We will not engage in an endless process of negotiations.” U.N. ambassador Susan Rice, September 20, 2012, New York.
- “Iran . . . has failed to take the opportunity to demonstrate that its nuclear program is peaceful . . . time is not unlimited.” President Obama, September 25, 2012, New York.
- “When it comes to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, I will take no options off the table. … That includes all elements of American power: a political effort aimed at isolating Iran, a diplomatic effort to sustain our coalition and ensure that the Iranian program is monitored, an economic effort that imposes crippling sanctions and, yes, a military effort to be prepared for any contingency.” — Speech to pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC, March 4, 2012.
- “The United States will do what we must to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.” — Speech to United Nations, Sept. 25, 2012.
Then LAST August, just before heading off to his vacation on Martha’s vineyard:
[…] On Iran, the president said the chance that American efforts to strike a deal on nuclear weapons is “a little less than 50-50,” in part because some Islamic leaders may fear such a pact would loosen their grip on power.
“That may prevent us from getting a deal done,” Mr. Obama said. “It is there to be had. Whether ultimately Iran can seize that opportunity — we will have to wait and see, but it is not for lack of trying on our part.”
Oh, and now for the punchline:
During a press conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier today, the president indicated a deal with Tehran is possible because “according to their Supreme Leader, it would be contrary to their faith to obtain a nuclear weapon".
Rimshot, please!
Hat tip: BadBlue News.
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