I can’t tell if this is supposed to be a comment on Bush or on himself. Is he actually acknowledging that Iran might be holding out in hopes of a sweetheart deal from a left-wing Disney administration next year? Or does he simply mean to say that they might have given up on reaching any accommodation with Bush? If the latter, it’s a weird judgment to render right now, less than two weeks after the first face-to-face nuclear chitchat between the two sides this decade.

U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama said on Friday Iran should not wait for the next administration to halt its uranium enrichment program.

Speaking at a joint news conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris, Obama said Iran should accept the trade and technical incentives the six world powers have offered in exchange for ending its uranium enrichment.

“Iran should accept the proposals that President Sarkozy and the EU 3 plus 3 are presenting now. Don’t wait for the next president because the pressure, I think, is only going to build,” he said.

He’s not so presumptuous as to refer to himself, but given that he said this during a de facto state visit, I’ve got a hunch he’s not thinking of McCain. If you missed it in Headlines last night, read Time’s assessment of the likelihood of an Israeli strike on Iran. According to a former “top” Mossad official, they’re leery to do anything before the election because “No Israel leader wants to be blamed for destroying the Republican chances” — which, considering how many Israelis view Iranian nukes as an existential threat, says a lot. Possible window of attack, per Time’s sources: After the election but before the inauguration. Not the first time we’ve heard that suggested.