DeMediacratic Nation: The Workings involved in the release of Hostages

From the Telegraph:

“The Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and the Foreign Secretary, Margaret Beckett, have been warned that the impasse may develop into a long-term stand-off. Privately, officials are speculating that the crisis could continue for months.”

What would months mean in the scheme of things for Tehran? What a incredibly wise move on their part thus far. They have called it and done it as they saw it and thus far it is paying off. The build-up of extremism is gaining massive points with the tick of each second. This much is very apparent when you read that according to Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett:

"Everyone regrets that this position has arisen. What we want is a way out of it. We want it peacefully and we want it as soon as possible."

I would sit back and relax if I was Ahmadinejad and make statements with confidence like this:

“plans to make a formal statement on the crisis on Tuesday. Last night, he denounced Britain's failure to apologise and decision to go to the United Nations: "This is not the legal and logical way."

According to the Republics president, Britain should not have gone to the U.N.. Doesn’t that have the ring of a crime drama to it where the kidnapper says ‘go to the police and the dame gets it.’

The formal statement from the former radical student should prove to be very, very interesting indeed. The man in charge will let us all know what it is that we have done wrong and will prescribe to us the appropriate way out of the mess created by the hostages.

Describing that what Britain has done was not “legal and logical” reveals his continuing ability to have and eat the cake that Marie Antoinette was never able to. I have often wondered what is “legal and logical” to Momo to begin with as so much that comes out of his or Substitute Friday Prayer Leaders have to do with it. This is absolutely mind-boggling to me.

A quick post by Mark Steyn at NROs The Corner addresses via the recent Telegraph poll further illustrates just what we might expect in the near future following remarks like those of FS Beckett (above):

“The seven per cent solution [Mark Steyn]

Here’s a poll to give one pause. Britons were asked about the hostage situation (I was going to say “crisis”, but, given public indifference, that hardly seems the word) and they responded as follows:

7% favour preparing for military action at this stage

26% want Britain to apologise and ask for the captives back

40% back the government’s position of continued diplomatic action stopping short of an apology

Countries that don’t mean it shouldn’t be in war zones. Only seven per cent of Britons mean it. Iran understands that.”

Who’s in charge here? Why is it the “kidnappers” have such the upper hand? I realize that at all times part of the world is upside down, but does logic have to be as well?

As Steyn said: