A tale of two days
A cold night changes everything
H ERE IS the country’s secretary of state, John Kerry, as quoted in the paper on Sunday, January 17, when talking to the press about the Iranian nuclear deal:
“Today marks the first day of a safer world. This evening, we are really reminded once again of diplomacy’s power to tackle significant challenges.”
Here is the country’s secretary of state, the aforementioned John Kerry, from the same story, this time talking about Iran’s release of four Americans held hostage by Tehran:
“Thanks to years of hard work and committed dialogue, we have made vital breakthroughs related to both the nuclear negotiations and a separate long-term diplomatic effort.”
Also on Sunday, his boss—the honorable Barack Obama, chief executive of this country and commander-in-chief of its armed forces—said this: “Engaging directly with the Iranian government on a sustained basis, for the first time in decades, has created a unique opportunity, a window, to resolve important issues.”
And this: “We have a rare chance to pursue a new path—a different, better future that delivers progress for
both our peoples and the wider world. That’s the opportunity before the Iranian people. We need to take advantage of that.”
The very next day, come Monday morning, January 18, and another round of newspapers, readers of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette saw this headline on the front page: Iran missile test leads to new U.S. sanctions.
The president now vows to Counter Vigorously the destabilizing behavior of Iran: “We’re not going to waver in the defense of our security or that of our allies and partners.”
That is, perhaps, until tomorrow, when another round of newspapers appears in driveways assuring all Americans that Iran is our friend and working partner. And then, maybe the next day, we’ll be Countering Vigorously all over again.
Who can keep up without a scorecard? No matter. Just trust in this administration. They’ll tell us what to think. But it won’t matter if the Iranians are to be feared one day, or trusted the next, one thing will be for certain: This administration will have claimed to be right all along.