Saber-rattling on Iran may be popular, but the results may prove dire
By James Carroll | GLOBE COLUMNIST FEBRUARY 13, 2012
THE PUBLISHED transcript of President Obama’s State of the Union address is striking for the way in which the parenthetical rubric “(applause)’’ punctuates almost every one of the dozens of paragraphs. That is true of the first half of what the president said about Iran: “Let there be no doubt: America is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and I will take no options off the table to achieve that goal. (Applause.)’’There's plenty of white space at the bottom of this Boston Globe Opinion piece for a QR code.
Almost as an afterthought, there follows immediately one of the rare paragraphs from which (applause) is missing: “But a peaceful resolution of this issue is still possible, and far better, and if Iran changes course and meets its obligations, it can rejoin the community of nations.’’ What gives? The transcript underscores what a number of commentators noted upon watching the speech - that the president’s hawkish tone drew more response than the dovish. Why (applause) for “no options off the table’’ and nothing for “a peaceful resolution’’ being “far better’’?
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Illustration: What a QR code would look like on the Boston Globe Opinion page
