Some voices are saner; others, ever more insane

For an example of the first:

The New York Times

Opinion, Published: December 22, 2006
Saner Voices in Iran
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the populist demagogue, is not so popular with important elements of Iranian society. [...]

Two weeks ago, the students chanted, “Forget the Holocaust — do something for us.” Last week, one of them told a reporter: “A nuclear program is our right. But we fear that it will do more harm than good.”

For an alarming example of the obstinate second:

The Guardian
Iraq sacrifices worthwhile, claims Rice
Mark Tran and agencies Friday December 22, 2006
Condoleezza Rice today said Iraq was worth the cost in US lives and dollars, rejecting accusations that the conflict is a foreign policy disaster.
With George Bush's popularity plummeting amid growing sectarian violence and US casualties rising towards 3,000, the secretary of state defended the decision to invade the country in 2003 and said the US could still win.