If the Bush administration were to go down the nuclear strike route then the consequences would be ugly - an anwful lot of innocent Americans abroad would get caught up in a very nasty backlash, and US corporations can forget about their foreign investment portfolios for a few decades to come.

Agreed -- an additional reason for why I don't think the Bush administration was seriously considering a nuclear attack.  Bush is also going to take an enormous hit if Fitzgerald does, in fact, tie he and Cheney directly to the Plame case, which seems more and more likely everyday given Libby's recent testimony.  So much for "falling on the sword," I guess.

I don't think the negotiations are going to work, whether bilateral or multilateral.  But, then again, I'm not fearful of a nuclear Iran.  If Iran were to even attempt a launch against the US, the US would turn it into a giant wasteland.  The same would be true if Iran provided weapons to al-Qaeda.  The Iranians have no incentive to attack us or to enable others to attack us, which is why I've changed my mind on the issue.

Be nice to America. Or we'll bring democracy to your country.