I guess the likes of Putin and XI are content with their progress --- which is why they are mature leaders while this writer is anything but.

I wouldn't call Putin, with his delusions of empire "mature". Xi is playing the world like a fiddle: projecting an image of stability, in a world of power-mad psychotics, and using soft power the way the Soviets did, 60 years ago, to win "hearts and minds", against the roar of the war mongers.

America now wants "out" of this Israeli-inflicted conflict. The economic price is starting to come home to roost and Americans might have to pay more for a god damn baseball glove and we can't have that.

The US regime doesn't give a whit what "we the people" want. If people didn't understand that from his words to the effect "I don't care what the financial impact of my policies is on Proles", he said it out loud today: their votes mean nothing.

Trump sends crushing message to Republicans: ‘I don’t care about the midterms’

“They thought they were going to out-wait me ... ‘He's got the midterms,’” Trump mimicked Iranian leaders, before declaring: “I don't care about the midterms.”

currently.att.yahoo.com - Trump sends crushing message republicans

IRAN should state "We want to end the conflict.....BUT we will ONLY deal with JD Vance, Or George W Bush".

*blink* You're kidding, right? The Bush 43 regime gave me flashbacks to Spiro Agnew jokes of 60 years ago "a fire destroyed his entire library. Both books lost. And he hadn't finished coloring one of them".

Trump ----publicly not wanting to trust JD Vance with making a deal----his own VP.

Would *you* take Agnew seriously? Dan Quayle? Iran could really give the knife a twist, and insist they negotiate with John Kerry. That would guarantee the GOP would refuse the deal, no matter what.

Steve