Opening the Door To Iran

I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with the smooth way the Obama-Biden-Clinton global triumvirate is working out. First, I think it puts a little teeth into Hillary Clinton's claim that she and then-Senator Obama agree on more things than they disagree on. Second, Joe Biden's foreign policy expertise is shining more and more every day, coupled with an easy relationship with both the President and the Secretary of State. And the President, having laid out high-level policy goals (most of which do still conform closely to his campaign promises) has stepped back and let Biden and Clinton have close to free reign with carrying out the details. Economic woes, gaffes, botched Cabinet nominations, and D.C. infighting may besiege the President at home, but "Foreign Policy," which Obama consistently took hits for not knowing enough about during his campaign, is going swimmingly.

Today, President Obama came very close to keeping an early campaign promise which was to meet with Iranian leadership "with no preconditions." By releasing a video message directly to the Iranian people which was open, congratulatory, and inclusive, Obama has begun the process of reversing a generation-long silence between our nations. I'm certain it is not pure philanthropy. Obviously, the President is smart enough to understand that if we are going to simultaneously get out of Iraq, deeper into Afghanistan, root out al-Qeada, decide if the Taliban is our friend or foe and act accordingly, get Russia back on board and realign our relationship with China.... hm, we better get Iran on board, too.

And, that would require un-demonizing them first. If Barack Obama is good at anything, it's making moving speeches. I think this video message to Iran is as much about American people and their perceptions as it is about Iran. What was once Persia is an industrialized First World country in the cradle of civilization, rich with culture, art, history, and money. They are viewed as an isolationist state sponsor of terror. I'm sure that's what they say about us, too. But, Kim Kardashian is a far cry from the turban-headed pipe bomber we all fear. She's "Persian," not Iranian. President Obama has done a brilliant thing with this video message, celebrating an Iranian holiday, and praising their culture, opening the door. As long as it is followed by action, we are on the right road.

I believe a Cabinet-level official will set foot in Iran, and soon. If it is Joe Biden or Hillary Clinton hardly matters, although I would bet on Biden first. He has the gravity of having the word "President" in his job title. Hillary Clinton has a lot of star power, but her real punch is packed by already-existing US ties. She is appointing well versed envoys to hot spots all over the globe, which frees her to work on high-level policy crafting and to show up to cut ribbons and shake hands. Critics say this makes her little more than a new incarnation of her former role as First Lady; I won't go into a long refuting of that here, but it should be obvious this is not the case. Again, the Obama-Biden-Clinton triumvirate is working out to be a well-oiled machine, a 1-2-3 punch, if you will.

While the State Department has used very careful language, it should be clear by now that the US is open to meeting with Iran. In the Hague on March 31st an international conference on Afghanistan will be held, and while no plans have been made for a distinct US-Iranian meeting, Secretary Clinton has been receptive and open toward including them. Iran's Vice President last week got the ball rolling on that. And, Vice President Biden has been very vocal about the need for bringing both Iran and Syria to the table for Middle East talks in general. Naturally, Russia will be a key ally in this, as one of the few global powers with unshakable ties to Iran. Note that Biden and Clinton together in tandem have already been working the "Russia Rope Line" so to speak, hard. I predict that by the end of August 2010, when we should be leaving Iraq in total, there will be at the very least, an Iranian delegation on the ground in Tehran. If this works out, it could be one of the greatest achievements of the Obama administration, comparable to Richard Nixon's achievements with China.