An Apology....Really?

Top of the evening everyone.

As many of you are aware, the Secretary of State is presently in Zurich trying to hammer out an agreement with Iran on Iran's nuclear program (more on that in a minute).  Many of you are also aware that a large number of US senators signed and sent a letter to the Iranians about those negotiations.  The President called the letter destructive.  The Iranians brought up the letter in the discussions with Secretary Kerry.

Secretary Kerry was asked if he intended to apologize for that letter.  Appropriately, he said he would not.  His reason was that he did not feel the need to apologize for a letter initiated by someone who had been a senator for less than 60 days.

Right answer...wrong reason. 

Right answer...right reason?  We will not apologize.  We may give it some thought, or not.  While we are giving it some thought, or not, perhaps the Iranian government might think about apologizing to the US for invading our sovereign territory in 1979.  Perhaps it might apologize to the US for holding its citizens hostage for 444 days.  Perhaps it might consider apologizing for planning to assassinate a member of the Saudi royal family on US territory just a couple of years ago.  It is a long list.

As concerns US-Iranian negotiations, 1986 comes to mind.  In the fall of that year, President Reagan went to Iceland for a summit with Mikhael Gorbachev.  For a long time, that was called a failed summit.  History appears now to be showing that the Reykjavik summit was crucial to the demise of the Soviet Union.

At that summit, President Reagan brought to the table a point of concern about the USSR.  It was one of human rights.  It had never been mentioned.  This concern of human rights might be an issue right now, given that Iran's record in this area is dismal at best.  "Where is my vote(?)" was the mantra of the so-called Green Revolution in 2009.

Upon his return to the US, President Reagan addressed the country from the Oval Office.  He made the following statement: "for a government that will break faith with its own people can not be trusted to keep faith with foreign powers."

Why are even considering trusting these people?

Have a good evening.

R/SCG