I know this is going to get me accused of being a traitor and unpatriotic, but here I'm used to it by now.

I really don't get it. Why the big deal about Ahmedinejad? Sure, the guy is a sleazeball, and sure, his policies are killing Americans in Iraq. But think about it; he's an enemy of the USA, that's his job! Without any posing and big shows of indignation, doesn't refusing to admit he exists and refusing to talk (or with the Syrians or with anyone else) come across as a little self-serving and hypocritical? Has anyone actually stopped to consider how cowardly, and frankly, how childish, it sounds because we whine about someone attacking our soldiers while they are occupying another country? Didn't we help the Brits whip up on the Argies? What did Argentina ever do to us? The Iraqis against the Iranians? The Israelis against everybody? You know perfectly well I could go on all night about how we have given surreptitious aid to our allies, or otherwise clandestinely made it rough for our enemies. And it's not just us, everybody does this, but they still dicker and talk and deal. Like they say, talk is cheap and everyone can afford it. If you don't like what you hear you can always try again later, but you don't take your marbles and go home.

Did the Russians break off relations with us and refuse to talk when we were selling Stingers to the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan? I'm sure they weren't too happy about their boys being killed off by smuggled American weapons either. How about our overtures to China, shortly after they had provided weapons and support to the Vietnamese? I do remember Jimmy Carter catching hell about cancelling our participation in the Moscow Olympics, though. And you know, I think he was wrong to do that, too. That's the way the world works, if you're going to play rough with the big boys, don't cry when they hit you back. You take your licks and you keep on punching.

And another thing, I don't even want to hear someone pointing to this post as evidence of my coddling the scumbags who run Iran. I say treat 'em like scumbags, do what it takes to get even, and if you can't, bide your time until you CAN stick it to 'em. But don't go blubbering off to Mommy about how they aren't playing fair.