MAHMOUD AHMEDINEJAD: A good swift kick in the assets

Trivia question: Where is George W. Bush doing better in the popularity polls—the United States or Iran?

If you answered "Iran," you're probably right. Ironically. This is far from scientific, but as precipitously as W has been dropping in U.S. opinion polls, he's reportedly been rising in esteem among the Yousef Six-Packs on the, uh, Persian street. And that reportedly has a lot to do with an absence of administration saber-rattling accompanied by positive statements—notably his last two State of the Union addresses to Congress. To wit:

2005: "And to the Iranian people, I say tonight: As you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you."

2006: "Tonight, let me speak directly to the citizens of Iran: America respects you, and we respect your country. We respect your right to choose your own future and win your own freedom. And our nation hopes one day to be the closest of friends with a free and democratic Iran."

Jaded Americans might dismiss that kind of talk as cheap political rhetoric, but, believe it or not, the statements apparently have struck a responsive chord with average Iranians, many of whom dislike the rogue regime of Mahmoud "Mojo" Ahmadinejad—and mullah rule—as much as we do. So, this U.S. president, so reviled at home by sunshine patriots and summer soldiers and a generation of spoiled-brat mediacrats and politicians, appears to be more popular, by some accounts, in Iran.

Once again, Regime Change in Iran has the story, here.

Unfortunately, we don't have another 15 or 20 more years to let nature take its course. Iran is a nuclearizing menace to the entire world, now. And so—considering how any military option is fraught with utmost peril--the latest talk has turned to the possibility of isolating Iran economically. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has requested $85 million to support the pro-democracy movement inside Iran and opposition groups on the outside.

Unfortunately again, that's a decade late and a couple of billion dollars short. So, now we’re also hearing other voices calling for the thawing of Iranian assets in the United States that have been frozen since 1979—estimated to be at least $10 billion. You can read about that here.

Stay tuned. There are indications that there may be an announcement about a more aggressive economic offensive shortly. If we start dropping bombs, we’ll surely lose the good will Bush has built on the inside. But if we go the sanctions route, will it be anything close to effective? The future security of the world could depend on the answer.