Has George W Bush gone soft on Iran?

Analysis by David Blair, Diplomatic Editor Six months before President George W Bush's Administration goes out of business, it has significantly softened its line on Iran. Why has this change taken place? The latest remarks from Admiral Mike Mullen, America's most senior officer who serves as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appear to indicate a consensus among the military's top brass that a strike on Iran would be highly inadvisable. On Wednesday, Admiral Mullen said that every kind of pressure should be used against Tehran - except the military option. "My position with regard to the Iranian regime hasn't changed. They remain a destabilising factor in the region. But I'm convinced that the solution still lies in using other elements of national power to change Iranian behaviour, including diplomatic, financial and... [read full story]