Iran counts it as a success just to negotiate on the nuclear issue:
Iran is unwilling to make any serious concessions. Iran insists it has no nuclear weapons program and is only offering to slow down nuclear fuel production and construction of nuclear research facilities. Nevertheless Iran counts it as another victory because the West showed up to talk.
I swear to God, John Kerry seems to actually believe he is the one to deliver a good deal with Iran when all he is accomplishing is establishing the shape of the table where we'll sign the surrender documents.
Up until now, we've been saved from bad deals because the Iranians looked down on us so much that they refused to even pretend to halt their nuclear program in exchange for us pretending to believe Iran halted work on their nuclear program.
So far, Iranians aren't budging on their contempt (tip to Instapundit):
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told the National Assembly that Tehran would not be intimidated by any country's "sanctions, threats, contempt and discrimination," according to Iran's student news service. "For us there are red lines that cannot be crossed."
The Iranians may yet save us from a bad deal.
But Secretary of State Kerry's delusions are strong:
President Barack Obama, Kerry said, "does what he says," citing the killing of Osama bin Laden and getting American troops out of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"So believe us on Iran," he said. "He will not bluff."
Wow! That's scarily dense.
Kerry is trying to scare Iran, remember. Let's play "what doesn't belong there?"
Killed Osama bin Laden. Good. But a one-off.
And then the next two in Kerry's list: retreating from Iraq and Afghanistan without being serious about defending our sacrifice and gains.
Kerry thinks these are all alike? And that these examples will scare Iran rather than encourage the Iranians to hold tough until we "responsibly end" our Iran confrontation?
I think the mutual breakthrough will be that we will both pretend the deal is real. Actually, Kerry is vain enough (and foolish enough) to believe the agreement will be real.
Kerry will be genuinely surprised when Iran goes nuclear. But he'll still dust his Nobel Peace Prize every Saturday afternoon. Probably with his magic hat.
