How will Obama deal with the threat of Iran?

President Obama has said, time and again, that Iran has until the end of the year to negotiate in good faith over its nuclear program.
The deadline is now just days away and Iran’s response? Just the opposite.
Consider this, In the last several months Iran has:

- ratcheted up its missile testing program and now has missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads and reaching Israel, the Middle East and parts of Europe.

- put its nuclear enrichment program on steroids to make weapons grade uranium.

- revealed it has the blueprint and trigger mechanisms necessary for a nuclear weapon.

- delivered shipment after shipment of missiles and armaments to Hezbollah, and Hamas, to pre-arm them for a possible war against Israel.

- and now sent a small revolutionary guard unit into iraq to seize an oil field.

- seized three hapless American hikers near the Iran-Iraq border and threatens to try them for espionage – which carries the death penalty.

- harrassed British sailors in the Persian gulf

- stolen an election from reformers and brutally crushed a pro-democracy movement.

- formed an alliance with Latin America’s biggest America hater, Hugo Chavez.

Looks more like Iran is girding for war, rather than preparing to negotiate in good faith.

In his Inaugural Address President Obama extended America’s ‘hand of friendship’ to Iran if they would only ‘unclench their fist’. There can be no doubt remaining that his approach of conciliation, apology and goodwill has been a colossal failure that has only served to embolden President Ahmandinejad.

The end of the year deadline? It’s pretty clear what President Ahmaninejad will do – nothing. The question remains: What will President Obama do? Will he make good on his threat to punish Iran with crippling gasoline and banking sanctions? Or will this deadline come and go?