Earning that Nobel Peace Prize after the fact

The Obama administration works to halt a new war in the Middle East -- at least for now:

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration, citing evidence of continued troubles inside Iran's nuclear program, has persuaded Israel that it would take roughly a year — and perhaps longer — for Iran to complete what one senior official called a "dash" for a nuclear weapon, according to American officials.

White House officials said they believe the assessment has dimmed the prospect that Israel would pre-emptively strike against the country's nuclear facilities within the next year, as Israeli officials have suggested in thinly veiled threats.

For years, Israeli and American officials have debated whether Iran is on an inexorable drive toward a nuclear bomb and, if so, how long it would take to produce one. A critical question has been the time it would take Tehran to convert existing stocks of low-enriched uranium into weapons-grade material, a process commonly known as "breakout."

It would be nice if the White House could push to wrap up Obama's first term by actually preventing a war instead of inventing one like the Reagan administration did in Grenada in 1983. Remember those 50,000 troops that we still have in Iraq? They're not involved in combat now -- but they might be if a war erupts between Israel and Iran.

Have a great and nuke-free weekend.