By Steve Clemons

Well, nearly. I’m back in the country and about to talk with Brian Lehrer on New York’s public radio network at 10 a.m. Eastern this morning.

I just got through my first read of the outstanding roster of diverse and provocative posts that TWN‘s guest bloggers have posted this week. Thanks to all of them who have posted and to the many others who will cover the rest of the week and weekend.

Al Gore in 2000 was inconvenient, but it turns out he would have been the right man at the right time in November 2000. I seriously underestimated him at that time; or perhaps he is a dramatically new and different Al Gore today — finally punching above his weight.

I may occasionally check in while on vacation, but TWN readers are in for a treat this week. When I travel, I try to invite a diverse group to consider blogging about whatever moves them, in a diverse set of areas.

The flurry of hope and skepticism that proposed talks with Iran will lead anywhere are dominating the news, even here in Athens.

Condoleezza Rice just really pissed off John Bolton, whom TWN has learned is seething about Rice’s offer of direct negotiations with Iran.

During the Soviet war with Afghanistan, which Zbig Brzezinski once commented he helped lead the USSR into — helping in his view to end the Cold War with the minor cost of riling up some Muslims — morale among Russian troops was always reported to be high.

Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick didn’t want to “manage” the State Department in the same manner that his predecessor Richard Armitage did. Zoellick wanted to carve out portfolios that he would manage, and left the meat-and-potato operations of the department to others.

A few commenters and those who have emailed have taken exception to my stating where I am during my travels at the moment. I state where I am because I like to meet TWN readers in the cities I visit.

I am currently in Mykonos, after having spent a few days at a conference organized by New York University’s Center on Law and Security focusing on the legal frameworks through which governments pursue and handle would-be terrorists. One of the conference participants was Nir Rosen, a colleague of mine at the New America Foundation.