or now it would appear that Iran's hard-liners have the upper hand; they have probably prevailed. But, their authority has been compromised. In the long run, very likely, fatally compromised, as their country changes from a theocracy to more of a military dictatorship. It won't be long before it will fall.

It is possible that, for now, the regime will grow stronger and they will successfully suppress dissent. At the same time something has so fundamentally changed in Iran that the regime's legitimacy has been permanently undermined. It would be hoped that change will arrive before Iran's nuclear weapons program reaches critical mass, precipitating the possibility of a risky Israeli attack. USA Today had a headline which summed up my conviction; "Hard-liners might delay, but not deny, change in Iran".

ave you yet pondered the following question, and if so, what's your belief? Question, Is President Obama capable of taming Washington, or will Washington tame him? Our chief executive is gearing up for the most decisive phase of his presidency. His push on his flagship healthcare reform bill in Congress is becoming a critical test of his pledge to take on Washington's most powerful lobby groups.

A friend of his, Colin Powell, worries that President Obama is attempting to tackle too many major issues at the same time and his suggestion is "take a hard look at costs and consider the additional red tape that will be created". The former Secretary of State, a Republican, endorsed Obama last year over his party's nominee for the presidency, Sen. John McCain. On CNN over the weekend he proclaimed "Give me a government that works. Keep it as small as possible" and added, I think one of the cautions that has to be given to the president is that you can't have so many things on the table that you can't absorb it all. And we can't pay for it all." They keep in contact. Why is Gen Colin-Powell a Republican?

f one needs further proof of the current disarray of the G.O.P. one need only try and follow the sad saga of the Governor of Alaska, quitting her role adding to ...who knows what or why. It is, according to the Republican senator Chuck Grassley, it is a real surprise." Neither the political pundits nor the Republican insiders appear to be certain whether or not Sarah Palin was abandoning her meteoric career in politics, in favor of the life of a right-wing media celebrity. Of course there is the speculation that she might feel that the action would preposition herself for a run at the presidency in 2012.

As it stands now the Republican party is reeling from sex scandals involving South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford and Senator John Ensign. Beyond that, the Party's leadership is fragmented and weak. On the other hand, as the Financial Times of London put it, "If the economy remains in recession, Ms Palin could run as a rightwing version of Huey Long, the left-wing populist who briefly terrified FDR in 1933. " She is a flawed torchbearer for the party, but maybe they can find an alternative.