A letter from Iran...

It's not surprising to me that the Bush administration would dismiss the recent letter from Iranian Presdient Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Given the administration's outright refusal to accept opposing points of view or perspectives that do not square up with its own agenda, we should expect nothing less than efforts to attack the messenger, but not acknowledge the arguments posited in the message. Moreover, Ahmadinejad claims in the letter that it reflects the "words and opinions of the Iranian nation." If the administration can (and clearly does) ignore 65%+ of the "words and opinions" of the American nation, why should it pay any attention to the people and leaders of Iran? When Bush stated today that "diplomacy is the first option," we should be very worried. Diplomacy was also stated to be the "first option" in Iraq, when, as we know now, diplomacy was never really an option at all.

We rarely hear about Iran's rights to peaceful nuclear development guaranteed any signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The NPT expressly provides signatories with the inalienable right to develop nuclear fuels for peaceful purposes, including Iran's stated desire to acquire and exploit nuclear technology for power generation. Instead, the Bush rhetoric focuses on it preconceived notion that Iran seeks to develop a nuclear bomb to threaten "our allies in the region," and, in some wildly irresponsible circles, "Amercian soil." No one seems to remeber that when this debate started, there was a non-partisan announcement that Iran, even if it worked around the clock to develop a bomb, was AT LEAST ten years away from any viable, deliverable nuclear weapon system. That timeline does not even compensate for the decades it would take for Iran to develop missle technology to carry a nuclear payload over an inter-continental distance. Thus, the nuclear threat from Iran to the United States seems to be a threat similar to oh, let's say, Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction in 2003.

Please don't jump to the argument that "it's better to do something now then to wait and see." While that would be common sense, the problem is not with the timeline, but the administration's putative solution. Now is the chance to get in front of the parade and demand a peaceful inspections process similar to that imposed on India in the recent India-U.S. nuclear pact. If it can work in India, a nation on hair-trigger alert that has every motivation to develop, test and proliferate in a nuclear race with Pakistan, it can work in Iran. Perhaps by showing a bit of respect (gasp) to the rights of other soverigns in the Middle East, the U.S. can begin what is sure to a long, yet lasting, route to peace in the region. Given the recent implosion of the Palestian Authority and the full-scale civil war that may result from it, there appears to be no better time to cut the imperialist cowboy shit and collaborate with Iran on a meaningful, productive solution.

Not only does a diplomatic solution make political sense (in both the domestic and international arenas), it makes fiscal sense. At this point, over $300 billion has been directly spent/transferred to the military industrial complex for the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Speculation is that an additional $200-400 billion will be spent before the books are closed. Thus, with direct costs of approximately $500-800 billion, along with indirect costs (healthcare for injured veterans, propaganda and potential settlements for the rampant abuse of Iraqi prisoners and civilians) that are clearly substanital, these "wars" (though there seems to be no opponent) will ultimately cost at least one trillion dollars. At a time of a burgeoning federal deficit and an increasingly dismal outlook for the American dollar, we simply cannot afford another unnecessary, and currently unjustifiable, war.

So Bush, read the letter from Ahmadinejad. Write back with your opinion. Schedule some talks, and attend yourself. Spend time to listen to the concerns of the Iranians and respond in kind with your concerns. Come to a peacful solution and then turn to your attention to Iraq and Afghanistan. Stop meddling with the Iraqi polical process and pull back the troops to guard the oil wells and pipelines that were our only true goal in the invasion. Restore oil production and complete the promised domestic reconstruction without spending additional dollars. Then look to Afghanistan and try to figure out a way to eliminate or moderate poppy production without destroying the entire state economy (good luck with that one.) Finally, come clean on why the world's greatest military force can't or won't capture Osama bin Laden.

But, whatever you do, stop being a douche and "keeping your cards close to your chest." Simply read and answer the letter.