Intel Failure?

Perhaps.

Given the cautious approach that Team Obama is taking to the events unfolding in Iran, one can't help but wonder if they have been blindsided.

For an election that was held (and called) on a Saturday, it was definitely disappointing to hear the Vice President say, in a Sunday morning interview, that they (the administration) were going to review what occurred.

(Unfortunately the interview wasn't all that it was cracked up to be -- Biden invited David Gregory over to his house afterwards. I could never imagine Russert and Cheney yukking it up after a MTP episode. )

Biden's tepid response suggests that our layers of intelligence didn't list that the election would be stolen for Mahmoud Amhadinejad and tens of thousands would protest as a probability.

There is, of course, the political calculus. President Obama, doesn't want to be in a position where his support would diminish the standing of the protesters, nor does he want to be seen as losing a chance to nudge an internal reformation of the Iranian regime. There's a reason why he voted "present" so often as a state senator.

In any event, it seems that he had to start at square one or somewhere close to it.

As to the way forward -- it seems that they believe that flexibility is the key to indecision.