Moments of Truth

We should be celebrating the fact that the Syrian crisis has been defused for the time being and that there may be a rapprochement with Iran, both of which should enhance America's standing in the world, but instead, we're headed for yet another government shutdown - this could be the eighteenth such shutdown since 1976 - and possibly a default in the middle of October, which could destroy the tenuous economic recovery already in place.  If that happens, we could be in deep trouble.  But as long as the lights don't go out and planes don't fall out of the sky, I really don't care.  Because our representative system of government has already failed to the point of being a national disgrace and an object of international ridicule.

As for that phone call between President Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani . . . it's definitely encouraging.  In fact, it's a sign that another Middle Eastern war is less likely.  Rouhani's victory in the Iranian presidential election this past summer was a positive sign; he seemed to me like someone whom the West could do business with, and he's certainly nothing like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  Both leaders know that it's important to take baby steps toward U.S.-Iranian reconciliation, because there are Iranians who still haven't forgiven the U.S. for supporting the Shah, and there are still Americans who haven't forgiven Iran for seizing the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979.  It's also worth noting that the last effort at reconciliation on the part of the United States - President Reagan's weapons sales in exchange for the release of hostages in Lebanon - didn't work out so well.  That said, I think in retrospect that Reagan's secret strategy was a sincere effort to normalize relations with Iran and put the embassy crisis behind both countries, but it was too soon to engage in such a plan; Khomeini was still in power and still intent on playing America for a fool.  The current Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, may be more diplomatically savvy than his predecessor and give Rouhani his full support - after all, Khamenei is a former president of Iran himself.  But we shall see.