[RWebb]

YOu are right Shaun in that there had been a huge tilt towards military action Uber alles during the first part of the Bush admin. However, they now have been employing quite a bit of diplomacy - even suggesting a US interest section back in Tehran. Those are usually preludes to a full embassy.

The exact balance of diplomacy and military action - or threats thereof, is always a difficult call.

I suspect Obama - if he really is more reluctant to use the military than McCain (and that is often assumed, but not really clear) might be a good swap from the early Bush years.

But you can be certain that we will be fighting wars again in just few years. It is the way of the world.