Iranian Dialogue

President Bush has a new pen pal:

Rice said the letter from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was 17 or 18 pages long and covered history, philosophy and religion.

Iran's top nuclear negotiator called the surprise letter a new "diplomatic opening" between the two countries, but Rice said it was not.

"This letter is not the place that one would find an opening to engage on the nuclear issue or anything of the sort," the top U.S. diplomat said in an interview with The Associated Press. "It isn't addressing the issues that we're dealing with in a concrete way."

You're kidding us. You mean a rambling, 18 page, Unabomber-like manifesto isn't particularly relevant to the situation at hand? Namely that Iran is on the verge of becoming a nuclear weapon state? But isn't this dialogue? Isn't all dialogue productive? Doesn't it at least make us feel good?

Surely this "opening to dialogue" will be the hook on which the talkers in Europe and on the American Left will hang their jester hats - as until now, their attempts at "dialogue" with the Islamic Republic have been stymied by the regime's inexplicably unccoperative behaviour. (Inexplicable, that is unless you believe Iran wants to destroy Israel and blackmail the United States and Europe. Then thier actions are wholly 'splicable.)

As stated by Amir Taheri

Something interesting is happening with regard to the crisis over Iran's nuclear ambitions. Slowly the blame is shifting from the mullahs to the Bush administration as the debate is redirected to tackle the hypothetical question of U.S. military action rather than the Islamic Republic's real misdeeds. "No War on Iran" placards are already appearing where "No Nukes for Iran" would make more sense.

The attempt at fabricating another "cause" with which to bash America is backed by the claim that the mullahs are behaving badly because Washington refuses to talk to them.

God, Kid Various wishes that letter was public! How crazy must that guy sound? 10 to 1 he makes reference to the CIA's orbiting mind control lasers...

UPDATE: Kid Various wanted a peek at the letter. James Lileks gives up the goods...

. . . Do you not realize you are beaten, as a donkey is beaten, but knoweth not his donkeyhood is cursed? Your comics have turned against you in your own lair, and mock you without mercy. We have seen the videos of the Meal of the Correspondents, and we know how your left regards the men of the laugh as prophets and seers. It is only a matter of time before Johnny Carson (applause be upon him) returns from occlusion to request that you, Mr. President, take the Slauson cutoff, get out of your car, and cut off your Slauson, Hi-yo, salaam. And a third part of the Slauson shall be stained with the tears of the womenfolk, and (9323 words excised)