Caught between two terrible decisions, Obama makes a terrible decision.

In the aftermath of the Iranian election, Obama - in my opinion quite rightly - refrained from comment. I suspect that he knew that he could not say anything that would help the Iranian protesters or Israel or the US - were he to say anything, then the Iranians would accuse him of meddling and use him as a scapegoat. Further, it would be disrespectful to Iran's sovereignty, especially so in the light of the US's record of meddling. However, Obama was being criticised by the entire Western world, it seems, for this response, and so - especially given how unlikely the result was - it looks as though Obama's hand has been forced. He needs political capital for, for example, healthcare and environmental policy reform.

To no-one's surprise, Obama's criticism of Iran has done no more than make Ahmadinejad very happy, for now he gets to engage in his favourite pasttime: blaming America for Iranian misrule.

I'd really hate to be a politician.