The changed situation

Charles Krauthammer notes how our foreign policy situation has changed in the past few months. The President of France is exploring how to implement tough sanctions on Iran. The Senate is passing a tough resolution on Iran. None of the top three Democratic presidential candidates will commit to withdrawing troops from Iraq by Jan. 20, 2013.

Bush's presidency -- and foreign policy -- were pronounced dead on the morning after the 2006 election. Not so. France is going to join us in a last-ditch effort to find a nonmilitary solution to the Iranian issue. And on Iraq, the relative success of the surge has won President Bush the leeway to continue the Petraeus counterinsurgency strategy to the end of his term. Congress, and realistic Democrats, are finally beginning to think seriously about making that strategy succeed and planning for what comes after.

It really is striking how different the situation is now from the beginning of the year.