No Surprise at All

Stalemate over Iran.

There can't be any action on Iran unless and until the big powers come to an agreement, and that's not going to happen anytime soon. Indeed, Iran is using this time to further enhance its nuclear capabilities - it plans on increasing the number of centrifuges enriching uranium to 3,000 by the end of the year.

And that letter sent to President Bush? One could have swapped Ahmadinejad's name for any of the leading leftists out there for the tone taken and smackdown on the concept of western democracy. Of course, al Qaeda sees things differently, but dictators are often the last to know when their time is at an end.

Hot Air incredulously notes that Debka claims to have gotten two drafts of the letter from its sources in Iran. Also, the NYT notes that the letter does nothing to dispel fears over Iran's nuclear intentions.

American officials said the letter, which was not released, was 16 pages in Persian and 18 pages in an English translation that Iran had provided. The officials said the letter had offered a philosophical, historical and religious analysis of Iran's relationship to the West, and asked questions about the cost to the world of the establishment of Israel, while another section asserted that Western-style democracy had failed humanity.

Some American officials said the letter appeared to be aimed at disrupting talks on Iran among top envoys of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China. The United States ambassador to the United Nations, John R. Bolton, suggested that Iran was throwing "sand in the eyes" of diplomats.

Last time I checked, Islamic theocracies and/or totalitarian regimes had done wonders for the countries of the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa.

Scott Ott provides his own take on what was contained in the letter. Sadly, that's closer to the truth as Iran's intentions have been clear for quite some time. They're using the time spent on diplomacy to speed ahead on their nuclear ambitions, knowing that Russia and China will hold off US or EU efforts long enough that Iran will be able to have enough enriched uranium for weapons - and by which time it would be too late to act.

UPDATE:
Here's a copy of the letter, as published by the Wall Street Journal online. I'll join Hugh Hewitt and Scott at Powerline in noting that Ahmadinejad is off his rocker. The letter includes diatribes against Israel and chastizing the US and the West on the concept of democracy. Ahmadinejad claims to be a teacher, and this letter takes the tone of a teacher who thinks that white is black, up is down, right is left, and that totalitarianism and Islamism is better than democracy.

This letter isn't so much an exchange of ideas, but a lecture by someone whose worldview is totally warped by his religous views and rabid anti-Semitism. Amazingly, he even tosses in "What would Jesus (and Abraham, Issac, Ishmail, or Joseph) do if they were alive today" (page 13) in an attempt to bolster his dim view of US involvment in the region. Further, he tries to answer his own question by claiming that he knows what they would do - and it isn't what the US has done. He then writes about how the Koran respects other religions, all while practicing the art of deception - taqyia. The koran may have some passages that call for tolerance, but the mullahs have shown absolutely no such tolerance whatsoever. After all, Iran repeatedly calls for Israel's destruction - this despite the fact that Jews are People of the Book and whose early religious history laid the framework for Mohammad and Islam.

All in all, experts will pore over every word and try to figure out what the mullahs are thinking and provide an assessment of who Ahmadinejad is - as though we need more evidence proving that he's a complete nutter who wouldn't mind finishing the job started by the Nazis and has no problem trying to incite a global conflict.

UPDATE:
Robert Spencer calls this not the rantings of a lunatic mind, but a da'wa - a call to Islam, which if not heeded, could result in an attack. The NYT picks up on the fact that Ahmadinejad runs with the secret prisons claims, despite the fact that no one has actually found them to exist. Wonder where he got that idea from except from reading through the pages of the New York Times.

The Moderate Voice thinks Ahmadinejad is underestimating the US at his own peril. Blackfive thinks we're being poorly served by the folks who reported that this letter was a negotiating ploy. My reading concurs.

In the Bullpen notes Secretary of State Rice was absolutely correct in rejecting this letter despite the fact that experts were saying what a wonderful opportunity it was for dialogue.

Pejman Yousefzadeh also takes the so-called experts to task and wonders whether this is the kind of masterstroke that Bismarck, Castlereagh or Metternich would have employed. Here's a hint - the answer is no.

Also blogging: Indepundit. More to follow...

UPDATE:
Still more folks blogging the Ahmadinejad letter:

Blue Crab Boulevard and Gateway Pundit note that Ahmadinejad is parroting the usual leftist and Democrat banter. Pundit Guy thinks Ahmadinejad was brillant because the media outlets and the usual assortment of 'experts' bought the whole charade about compromise while avoiding the 800 pound gorilla in the room - the lecture/da'wa.

Cox and Forkum bring their usual wit to the table. Iranian Truth has some interesting thoughts about the letter, including:

1) its either intended to mock the US president and point out inconsistencies in his policy and faith, or 2) intended to articulate Ahmadinejad's policy position to the Western word, by which the letter was simply intended to fan the media. I'm intended to believe in the latter position then the former, although both objectives clearly could have been in mind.

Lileks takes the humorous approach.

Both the Counterterrorism Blog, which cites Steve Emerson, and Bullwinkle Blog, notes this letter buys Iran still more time.

Winds of Change notes that if this is diplomacy, it's not the kind of diplomacy we've come to know and love.