Iran So Far Away

A la Ahmadinejad at Columbia, Ferdowsi University (in Mashhad, Iran) has invited Bush to speak and answer questions. Bush has--you'll never guess--declined, claiming he'd only be willing to travel to a democratic Iran. Ironically, (in a sad sort of a way) the actions of Bush and his fellow conservatives have made a democratic Iran less possible:

As The Washington Post reported in June of 2006, under pressure from a then-powerful reform movement, the Iranian government in 2003 sent a secret message seeking reconciliation with America. It proposed negotiations to stop monetary support for Hezbollah and Hamas, to provide assistance in Iraq and Afghanistan and to recognize Israel in exchange for a lifting of American sanctions and a guarantee not to try to overthrow the current government. America rejected the offer and increased its anti-Iran rhetoric, the Post reported. The next year, the reformists were defeated in Iranian elections, and they have been demoralized and relatively weak ever since.

In other news, Australia has said that it would not follow the U.S. into a war with Iran. Australian Prime Minister John Howard has been a close ally of President Bush, and Australia currently has about 1,500 troops in Iraq.