As for the most pressing concern, Iran’s nuclear weapons program, the president would be well advised to direct his energy toward rallying international opinion and enforcing existing UN resolutions. We recall that the president had promised that if “talk” could not end the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran he would be willing to pursue tougher measures. Now seems to be that time. Certainly he will never have more public support at home and abroad for denying the mullahs the capability to threaten Israel and its other neighbors with a nuclear holocaust.

Toward that end the president might go back to edit his Cairo speech, wherein he declared “no single nation should pick and choose which nations hold nuclear weapons.” Perhaps he might make clear that not just one nation, but the nations in the “international community” have determined that Iran, most especially in light of its recent behavior, cannot continue to defy “international norms and agreements” in pursuit of nuclear weapons which it would use to threaten its neighbors. We are told that when Obama speaks the world listens, so this would be a good time to start talking about a serious set of diplomatic and economic sanctions.

What we do know is that engagement is dead.