Just as the thugs on Iran�s Guardian Council were confirming Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president, Barack Obama and his top officials were unveiling the administration�s Iran policy. From a news conference and a series of Sunday-talk-show appearances we have learned that the Obama plan is this: Speak loudly and don�t carry any stick.

It began on Friday at Obama�s joint press conference with German chancellor Angela Merkel. First came the hot air: �The violence perpetrated against [the Iranian people] is outrageous. . . . We see it and we condemn it. . . . What�s happened in Iran is unacceptable . . . and we call on the Iranian government to uphold . . . international principles.�

The obvious follow-up question was this: Given that the Iranian government never had any interest in upholding the �international principles� you mention � such as �universal rights to assemble, speak freely, and have their voices heard� � what impact will that government�s actions have on your administration�s Iran policy?

	  	Arkes: A Different Strategy for the Hearings Black: Can Iran's Theocracy Survive? Bayefsky: