Notable exchange about the Iranian detention of British sailors, during ABC's This Week pundit roundtable:

GEORGE WILL: It is if both sides want out. The question is, are the people whoever is orchestrating this in Iran, do they want out or do they think they're winning somehow?

FAREED ZAKARIA: ...it's part of a strange internal battle that's taking place in Iran between hard-liners and reformists.

People like Ahmadinejad have been trying to discredit the moderates, remember in the last round of elections in Iran the moderates won.

And so there's this complicated game where each side may be using this as a political football.

But what I've been struck by talking privately to both Iranian and British officials is the temperature is much, much lower in private. They keep talking about the fact that they think there is a solution here and it will be some language about regret and making sure that the - these waters which are somewhat disputed are more clearly delineated.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And that's how it ended in 2004 [when Iran detained 8 British servicemen.]

MARTHA RADDATZ: But look what you said. I mean you heard President Bush say "hostages." That's the first time he said "hostages."

ZAKARIA: And I was very surprised by that.

RADDATZ: That definitely -- I was too -- and that definitely ratchets up the pressure on all sides.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Harder to back down once that word is in play.

RADDATZ: Much harder to back down. In fact they're talking about --

ZAKARIA: But do you think [British Prime Minister Tony] Blair wanted him to use that word? I mean I wouldn't - if I were Tony Blair I would not want to be --

RADDATZ: No, I wouldn't either. I wouldn't either.

ZAKARIA: -- part of a hostage crisis.

RADDATZ: Right. Right. And now that's exactly what they've made it.

Looks like Bush, and Ahmadinejad, are trying to undermine efforts by both governments to resolve the standoff.

[emphases added in transcript]