Popped in the Nose by the "Clenched Fist"

In his inaugural address, Barack Obama famously promised to "extend a hand" to any regime willing to "unclench its fist" -- including, even "who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent."

Iran has responded by characterizing the friendly overture as a sign of weakness.

Is this a surprise? To the extent Barack Obama sends signals that America has become a "weak horse," willing to befriend and negotiate with even the worst tyrants, this is the kind of behavior he can expect from Ahmadinejad and others like him.

It doesn't make anyone in the US safer. Nor does the administration's efforts to cut the Defense Department budget by 10%, even as the Democrats load up a pork bill with wasteful domestic spending.