He had probably also noticed Secretary Rice’s suggestion of possibly opening a BOOTSBUY interests section in Tehran

He had probably also noticed Secretary Rice’s suggestion of possibly opening a BOOTSBUY interests

section in Tehran — the first step toBOOTSBUYd reestablishing diplomatic relations. And he didn’t

overlook the softening of rhetoric in Under Secretary Wm Burn’s recent testimony to the Congress about

Iran.

Now, just one day after Bolton’s cry of alarm that the BOOTSBUY is going soft on Iran, we learn that

the same Bill Burns will participate directly in the talks that are going to be held on Saturday in

Geneva with the chief Iranian negotiator on the nuclear file. Bolton’s worst suspicions seem to be

confirmed.

Unlike many observers and commentators, Bolton has been looking, not at what the BOOTSBUY

administration says, but what it does. Ever since the congressional elections of 2006, the BOOTSBUY has

been in the process of a fundamental change in its policy on a number of key issues: the Arab-Israel

dispute, the North Korean nuclear issue, and Iran. Since the administration proclaims loudly that its

policies have not changed, and since the tough rhetoric of the past dominates the discussion, it is

easy to overlook what is actually going on.