Let's Be Nice To Iran?

While most people are focused on the current economic crisis and the Obama Administration's audacious response to it there is another issue that will soon be coming to head that could overshadow the economy in importance. Last week President Obama made a video that was shown on YouTube in which he respectfully addressed the leaders of the "Islamic Republic of Iran" and sought to find common ground. This was the first step in his effort to fulfill his campaign pledge of meeting with rogue leaders without preconditions. The leaders he addressed so respectfully are the Mullahs and President Achmadinajad who have enslaved their own people, refer to the U.S. as "the Great Satan" and who have sworn to wipe Israel off the map. It was obvious that the Iranian leadership saw Obama's video as a sign of weakness as they basically ridiculed the statement and said that any improvement in relations with the U.S. would be tied to dropping our support for Israel.

Meanwhile, as Obama tries to make nice with the Iranian leaders, Israel's next Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is putting together a government whose first mission will be to confront the growing threat of Iran's nuclear program. Many analysts believe that the Israelis will have to eliminate Iran's nuclear facilities by June to insure their country's safety. The irony is that as Israel has chosen a conservative hardline government to protect itself, its strongest ally, the United States, has elected a leftwing government that believes that the leaders of Iran can be charmed by Obama's diplomacy. The moment of truth could come if/when Israeli aircraft fly over Iraqi airspace to attack Iran's nuclear facilities. The Iraqi airspace is currently under the control of the United States. In the past there would be no doubt that the U.S. Government would "look the other way" and allow such over flights. One can only hope that the current administration will not interfere.

Obama's economic policies of big spending and higher taxes are in sharp contrast to those of the late Ronald Reagan. There is, however, an even greater contrast between Obama's effort to win over the rulers of Iran by going on YouTube and Reagan's strong words in Berlin 22 years ago, "Mr. Gorbachev, Tear down this Wall." The times they are certainly changing.