Iran to the Chosen One: Meet Our Preconditions and Maybe We'll Talk

Loved by the Muslim World

I guess Iranian President Ahmadinejad didn't get the memo that everything is gonna change.

Throughout the campaign, one of Obama's main platforms was to talk to Iran without preconditions. Ok, this was his original platform until his advisers told him to stop saying that...Americans really will think you're naive! After the negative reaction in the polls to this policy, he then backtracked to a set of preconditions not unlike the current ones Bush had set. Either way, liberals and the media hailed this as a change for a new direction. "Why not talk to them? Maybe we can work this out!" was the mantra from our great thinkers on the left.

Fast forward to a week into the new era of Hope and Change. Our new Dear Leader goes on al-Arabiya for his first television interview. Yes, that's right, he felt the need to talk to the Muslim world before addressing his own country. Anyway, in this interview he pleads for a return to the "partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago".

Ok, let's talk about 30 years ago. 1979, hmmm...what happened then....ummm....let...me...think....oh, oh, I know...Iranians invaded the US Embassy and took 53 American hostages! What a golden age indeed. I remember those good times! The ensuing energy crisis, the failed hostage rescue, the attack on the US embassy in Pakistan, that was one heck of a partnership!

Not to drag this out, but here's a few other things that happened during Obama's era of American/Muslim partnership(from Infoplease.com):

1982–1991 - Lebanon: Thirty US and other Western hostages kidnapped in Lebanon by Hezbollah. Some were killed, some died in captivity, and some were eventually released. Terry Anderson was held for 2,454 days.

1983 - April 18, Beirut, Lebanon: U.S. embassy destroyed in suicide car-bomb attack; 63 dead, including 17 Americans. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.

Oct. 23, Beirut, Lebanon: Shiite suicide bombers exploded truck near U.S. military barracks at Beirut airport, killing 241 marines. Minutes later a second bomb killed 58 French paratroopers in their barracks in West Beirut.

Dec. 12, Kuwait City, Kuwait: Shiite truck bombers attacked the U.S. embassy and other targets, killing 5 and injuring 80.

1984 - Sept. 20, east Beirut, Lebanon: truck bomb exploded outside the U.S. embassy annex, killing 24, including 2 U.S. military.

Dec. 3, Beirut, Lebanon: Kuwait Airways Flight 221, from Kuwait to Pakistan, hijacked and diverted to Tehran. 2 Americans killed.

1985 - April 12, Madrid, Spain: Bombing at restaurant frequented by U.S. soldiers, killed 18 Spaniards and injured 82.

June 14, Beirut, Lebanon: TWA Flight 847 en route from Athens to Rome hijacked to Beirut by Hezbollah terrorists and held for 17 days. A U.S. Navy diver executed.

Oct. 7, Mediterranean Sea: gunmen attack Italian cruise ship, Achille Lauro. One U.S. tourist killed. Hijacking linked to Libya.

Dec. 18, Rome, Italy, and Vienna, Austria: airports in Rome and Vienna were bombed, killing 20 people, 5 of whom were Americans. Bombing linked to Libya.

1986 - April 2, Athens, Greece:A bomb exploded aboard TWA flight 840 en route from Rome to Athens, killing 4 Americans and injuring 9.

April 5, West Berlin, Germany: Libyans bombed a disco frequented by U.S. servicemen, killing 2 and injuring hundreds.

1988 - Dec. 21, Lockerbie, Scotland: N.Y.-bound Pan-Am Boeing 747 exploded in flight from a terrorist bomb and crashed into Scottish village, killing all 259 aboard and 11 on the ground. Passengers included 35 Syracuse University students and many U.S. military personnel. Libya formally admitted responsibility 15 years later (Aug. 2003) and offered $2.7 billion compensation to victims' families.

Either Obama has an awful grasp of history or he chose to ignore it when he went to the Muslim world hat in hand. Either way, he's sticking to the plan of "repairing America's relations with the Muslim world." A plan heralded throughout the campaign by his media acolytes.

Iran's response?

"You were standing against the Iranian people in the past 60 years," Mr Ahmadinejad said during an address in the western region of Khermenshah that was broadcast by state television.

"Those who speak of change must apologise to the Iranian people and try to repair their past bad acts and the crimes they committed against Iran."

As to the troops, he said he expected two kinds of "deep and fundamental" change.

"Meet people, talk to them with respect and put an end to the expansionist policies. If you talk about change it must put an end to the US military presence in the world, withdraw your troops and take them back inside your borders."

Mr Ahmadinejad said the advocates of change must "stop supporting the Zionists, outlaws and criminals".

He called on the United States to "stop interfering in other people's affairs".

Well, huh, that didn't go according to plan now, did it? Ok, what was Plan B again?