In case you were in need of some sort of a litmus test on Thomas Barnett, here is what he says in response to Michael Ledeen’s new book on Iran (“An Interesting Book on Iran,” 8 September 2007):

Ledeen’s a hard-liner on Iran but in a smart way.

Yeah, kinda like Austria-Hungary was hard-line on Serbian separatists, but in a smart way.

And while we’re at it, hey, “some self-confidence, America, please!” I’m going to vote for less self-confidence and more circumspection.