OUTREACH TO IRAN - AT 7:30 A.M. ET:  President Obama has issued an unprecedented video, directed toward Iran.  From Reuters:

U.S. President Barack Obama issued an unprecedented videotaped appeal to Iran on Friday offering a "new beginning" of diplomatic engagement to turn the page on decades of U.S. policy toward America's longtime foe.

"My administration is now committed to diplomacy that addresses the full range of issues before us, and to pursuing constructive ties," Obama said in a message released to select Middle East broadcast outlets timed for an Iranian holiday celebration.

Obama went further than he has since taking office on Jan. 20 in extending an olive branch to Tehran, which has been locked in bitter disputes with Washington over Iranian nuclear ambitions and support for militant Islamic groups.

In an unusually swift reaction to Obama's overture, a senior official said Iran welcomed "the interest of the American government to settle differences".

But Aliakbar Javanfekr, an aide to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said the Obama administration "should realize its previous mistakes and make an effort to amend them."

The story, of course, contained the obligatory swipe at former President George W. Bush, which will get the reporter extra credit in the mainstream media:

"I would like to speak directly to the people and leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Obama said in a conciliatory tone that contrasted sharply with Bush's hardline approach. "We seek the promise of a new beginning."

Obama's willingness to talk to U.S. enemies like Iran has been welcomed internationally as a departure from what many saw as Bush's go-it-alone "cowboy diplomacy" epitomized by the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Talk about press bias.  Those last two paragraphs deserve some kind of bias prize.

COMMENT:  We'll monitor this closely.  The president has made the gesture, so the "international community," whatever that is, can't say he hasn't tried.  But how far is he willing to go?  Is he willing to let Iran stretch out any talks endlessly, giving Tehran the time to move closer to a nuclear bomb?  Is he willing to compromise basic American policies and values?  Is he willing to throw Israel under the bus, which some "experts" advocate?  Iran will be one of the great tests, possibly the greatest test, of Obama's ability in foreign policy. 

We have no problem here with these public gestures, as long as our fundamental interests are protected, and not sliced away, piece by piece.  There is no reason to believe that Iran will change anything important in its behavior.  The question is whether the Obamans will recognize that, and say so publicly.  Diplomacy can result in a better world.  It can also result in a catastrophe, leading to war.  We've seen both in our time. 

March 20, 2009