Cheney turned down Iran offer in 2003

BBC and Newsnight report today about a letter was sent from Iranian officials to the US State Department. The letter proposed ending support for militant groups in Lebanon and Palestine and also offered support for stabilizing Iraq. Furthermore, they proposed making Iran’s nuclear program more transparent. All of this was conditional on the ending of US hostilities toward Iran.

In return for its concessions, Tehran asked Washington to end its hostility, to end sanctions, and to disband the Iranian rebel group the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq and repatriate its members.

Well, it got nowhere pretty fast. The US State Department was very much in support of following up on this effort, but when it got to the Cheney administration, they killed it.

"We thought it was a very propitious moment to do that," Lawrence Wilkerson told Newsnight.

"But as soon as it got to the White House, and as soon as it got to the Vice-President's office, the old mantra of 'We don't talk to evil'... reasserted itself."

Pretty ironic that Cheney claims ‘we don’t talk to evil’ in light of the fact that there are people here in the USA who still talk to him. I would bet he even talks to himself, thereby making him a hypocrite (again).

The people who have seen this letter say it is close to what the US is demanding of Iran at this time in the year 2007, but the overall playing field has changed quite a bit since 2003. Today, Hamas is in power by a democratic election. Hezbollah has brought Israel’s superior military force to a standstill in Lebanon, and has increased in political power and standing from that development. And Iraq is in tatters, with violence spiraling out of control, with both the US and the Iraqi government is in need of any helpful suggestion or player that can come it’s way.

Our media constantly repeats what the Bushites say about Iran, but here is the truth:

Iran is developing nuclear power, and looking to sell nuclear fuel one day.

No sign or clear evidence that they are developing nuclear weapons at this time.

If they are developing nuclear weapons, it will be years before they achieve that goal.

There is no evidence that Iran is supplying arms to insurgents in Iraq who are doing roadside bombings (IED). It is really clear that they are not helping out the Sunni insurgents.

It is also clear that Iran is playing a political role in Iraq, with al Hakim being the closest in relationship to Iran. Sadr’s group is not affiliated with Iran at all. Interestingly, the Bush administration is working with al Hakim (and his SICRI group) and talks belligerently about Sadr’s group (the Mahdi army). And, of course, they talk belligerently about Iran. All of this is a huge clue that they are out of touch with reality, but you knew that already.

Iran’s growing political power in Iraq is making other countries like Saudi Arabia and Jordan very nervous of the Shi’ite alliance. And, it so happens, that Shi’ite minority in Saudi Arabia are sitting on the oil, just like in Iraq (for the most part). Also, there are 1.3 billion Muslims worldwide, but only about 15% of them are Shi’ites, and most of them are living in Iraq and Iran. There has been growing violence against Shi’ites in Pakistan and other countries in the last year or so. Bin Laden and his group hate the Shi’ites and don’t see them as proper Muslims.

It is likely true that Iran did supply Hezbollah with money, training, and weapons. It is certainly true that the USA supplied Israel with cluster bombs, among a host of other things. This made the Israel-Lebanon war last summer somewhat of a proxy war for USA-Iran. (And guess who won?)

It is really unclear what relationship Iran may have with Hamas, if any relationship at all.

Americans who are opposed to Iran for “helping terrorists” are making big, fat hypocrites out of themselves if they are not also opposed to the terrorism dished out by the USA and Israel.

EVERY LAST DAMN GROUP LISTED ABOVE, AND I DO MEAN EVERY LAST DAMN ONE OF THEM, HAS INNOCENT BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS.

But, all in all, Iran has the cleanest hands of the whole damn group.

And the stupid Cheney administration passed up, yet again, a chance to further world stability and peace.