Monday, May 8, 2006

previous entry | main | next entry | TrackBack (0)


Dear George: Hi, it's Mahmoud.....

Both the New York Times and the Financial Times report that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has written a letter to President Bush about the current tensions between the two countries. The NYT story by Christine Hauser is more thorough:

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has written a letter to President Bush with suggestions on how to resolve current international tensions, Iranian officials said today, but there was no immediate information about whether he was proposing a solution to differences over Iran's nuclear program.

Officials in Iran would not disclose the contents of the letter, which was being forwarded to Washington through the Swiss embassy, which represents American interests in Iran. White House aides said it had not arrived by early afternoon....

"Ahmadinejad, in his letter, spoke of the current tense situation in the world and suggested ways of solving problems and of easing tensions," said an Iranian government spokesman, Gholamhossein Elham, at a news briefing today that was carried by the Iranian news agency Irna. He also said that the Iranian president had sent letters to other leaders of "certain countries."

An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said that the text of Mr. Ahmadinejad's letter would be made public after the United States received it.

Readers are warmly encouraged to imagine what such a letter would have to say in order to ratchet down tensions between Tehran and Washington.

UPDATE: Here's a link to the actual letter, courtesy of the Council on Foreign Relations. I found this part intriguing:

Liberalism and Western style democracy have not been able to help realize the ideals of humanity. Today these two concepts have failed. Those with insight can already hear the sounds of the shattering and fall of the ideology and thoughts of the liberal democratic systems.

We increasingly see that people around the world are flocking towards a main focal point – that is the Almighty God. Undoubtedly through faith in God and the teachings of the prophets, the people will conquer their problems. My question for you is: “Do you not want to join them?”

Mr President,

Whether we like it or not, the world is gravitating towards faith in the Almighty and justice and the will of God will prevail over all things.

You know the world is a cockeyed place when George W. Bush is considered to be the secular alternative.

posted by Dan on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM




Comments:

Readers are warmly encouraged to imagine what such a letter would have to say in order to ratchet down tensions between Tehran and Washington.

That Valerie Plame was an Iranian mole?

posted by: Anderson on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



Dear President Bush:

I believe the strain between our nations can be ameliorated if you come to Tehran to kiss my hairy a**.

Yours truly,

A

posted by: Racer X, Speed Racer's (unbeknownst to him) brother on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



Given that the Iranians disclosed the existence of the letter, it's probably nothing more than a publicity stunt, recycling old rhetoric.

posted by: Mycroft on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



Perhaps he's just looking for an autographed photo?

posted by: Dave Schuler on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



"Dear George, I will trade you all our nuclear technology for a pair of working razors and a lesson on how to shave properly".

posted by: Cisco on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



It's sad to see you're attracting more racist and moonbatty posters with your new associations, Professor.

posted by: sunship on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



My guess is A's helping us calibrate our missile coordinates for when A wants that instant tan. Don't worry, A, it will just feel like a tiny scratch... yeah.

posted by: Ernie Oporto on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



Dear George:

As a fellow leader who has to answer to an electorate, I am looking for some advice. I could not fail to notice that, for many years, you maintained great popularity in your nation by identifying enemies and declaring your steadfast resolution against them. Your ratings really seemed to go up when you actually bated them and made them mad and stomp their feet.

But now, this does not seem to be working for you. I see you have 31% ratings. And I am worried. So. Seeing as your friend Karl Rove might need to leave the country to avoid prosecution, would you object if he provided me some advice?

Obviously, a resource as valuable as Karl Rove must come at some great price. And I know the only price you would accept from me is the termination of our nuclear program. This, I can never do. Else I would have the popularity ratings of that Jacques Chirac. But I believe I can achieve the same result in a manner acceptable to my people. How, you rightly ask?

I will announce the conversion of your advisor, Donald Rumsfeld, to Islam, and his immediate translation to our nuclear program. With his steady hand and ready grasp of reality, it will be some 30 years before we realize our nuclear dream. But his colorful talk -- much more to the point than that boring Osama fellow -- will keep our press entertained in the meantime. And it will look to be such a coup.

I know that this is an unusual step in diplomacy. But I understand this is much like what you did years ago, when you were the mullah of your basesball team. So what do you say, Mr. President Satan Bush. We do a trade?

posted by: Appalled Moderate on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



Dear George,

You told us not to make nucular weapons, and we are not!

Instead, we are making nuclear weapons.

Yours,
A.

P.S.: If you can pronounce my name correctly, I will turn my country over to you.

posted by: Andrew Steele on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



Dear President Bush,

Since I'm fairly new to my job and you're six years deep, perhaps we could correspond for a while - you could mentor me on the subject of presidency. Then we could nail down a book deal and call it "Letters to a Young Fundamentalist President."

Holler back.
M.A.

posted by: b. phillips on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



Dear George

I thought you looked really sexy in your "Mission Accomplished" flight suit.

Regards

A-

posted by: erg on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



To meet it's objective the letter need not ratchet down tensions between Tehran and Washington, mere move France to understand Iran is trying so that France will not support a UNSC resolution. Some oil for Jacques probably won't hurt either.

posted by: Richard Heddleson on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



Dear George -

What's it like to be less popular in your country than I am in mine?

Best,

A.

posted by: Ugh on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US.

posted by: Foobarista on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



Dear President Bush: I understand that you are a religious man. I am a religious man too. I have spent a great deal of time communing with the hidden imam, who is what you would call the messiah, and what we Muslims call the Mahdi.

He has very good news for you. He is going to reveal himself very soon and he will bring about the final judgment of mankind.

I have even better news for you. He wants to meet you. Please come to Tehran, by yourself, dressed in a plain white shroud, as you would if you where going to Mecca for the hadj. If you have not been circumcised, please do that before you come.


Allah akhbar
Your friend,
Mo

posted by: Robert Schwartz on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



Dear Infidel:

I control my media and I have the support of your media. I will do what I damn well please. You want to stop me from procuring nuclear weapons? Are you willing to lose the Congress to do so? We will negotiate on my terms.

God is great.

posted by: Tim Mathews on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



Off topic: Any reaction from Dan to Mearsheimer and Walt's response to their critics?

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v28/n09/letters.html

posted by: rd on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



The only thing Ahmadinejad can write to ease tensions is an announcement that the theocracy has been overthrown by James Madison-loving infidels.

posted by: Alan K. Henderson on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



Georgie,

You need me and I need you to stay relevant.

Yours,

Mo

posted by: irooni on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



Dear George,

It's all very simple. You must confess that 'God is God, and Mohammed is his prophet' and make Islam the state religion of the US. Iran will be happy to lend you sufficient Mullahs and Imans to speed the education of your idolatrous people into the true way.

Your friend,

Ahmadinejad

P.S. Having a woman in a position of State is a stink in the nostrils of the Prophet. Make her a cook and send a man to deal with us.

posted by: Don S on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



The note has been released to the media. Apparently it wasn't a love letter. :(

posted by: b. phillips on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



I win!

Reading between the lines it does indeed say, "kiss my hairy ..."

posted by: Racer X, Speed Racer's (unbeknownst to him) brother on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



God, Mr A seems to suffer from verbal diahorrea. Maybe its better than verbal dyslexia, like W

posted by: erg on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



Interesting that so much of this letter seems aimed at the domestic, religious Iranian audience, Ahmadinejad's base as it were.

I've already heard some commentary evaluating Ahmadinejad's communication as a foreign policy gambit, which it surely is. I don't think it is only that, however. I have no theory to explain this and offer no speculation, but would suggest this underlines how much we don't know about Iran's internal politics and Ahmadinejad's place in them.

posted by: Zathras on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



Know that we have the letter's contents, it reveals two things. One, that the Iranians set us up, knowing the U.S. would "discard" the letter then use it as another excuse to explain deteriorating ties ("but we even wrote to Bush and he threw away the letter!"). Second, the Bush administration's approval ratings are so low now that the press criticizes every move, no matter what. A year ago the press would not have taken Condi to task (like they are now) for the way they treated the letter.

Bush's dismal approval ratings will make it increasingly difficult for him to govern.

posted by: St. James the Lesser on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



Good old Mahmoud, what a card. Maybe he'll trip and fall down the stairs.

posted by: Jack on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



This Ahmedperson is totally delusional, thus dangerous. Liberal democracies have failed and people is rushing to God? He seems to have missed that these weak willed democracies militarily conquered Germany, Japan, Falklands and lately Iraq, and that the USSR collapsed more or less spontaneously and China has tacitly adopted liberal economy. How can these people make the same error of perception once and again? I presume that in the case of the Middle East, it must seem miraculous to these very weak and very poor countries that great Western democracies are paying them immense quantities of money. If not for God, why the West does not take the oil by force of arms, as they surely would do, but they pay yearly ransoms of billions to stinking powerless tribal sheikhs and analphabet mullahs? In my opinion, it is necessary to beat into these Ahmednothings some sense of reality.

posted by: jaimito on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



This Ahmedperson is totally delusional, thus dangerous.

Yes, that's worrisome. Two of these delusional characters playing a game of chicken, and one of them is driving my country. And there's a fair chance that neither of them will back down. Bad news.

posted by: J Thomas on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



"The only thing Ahmadinejad can write to ease tensions is an announcement that the theocracy has been overthrown by James Madison-loving infidels."

Wait, are you talking about Iran or the Bush administration?

posted by: Jon H on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]



threesome wife picture ex wives fucking

posted by: Dooop on 05.08.06 at 02:21 PM [permalink]






Post a Comment:

Name:


Email Address:


URL:




Comments:


Remember your info?