Instead of running Charles Krauthammer’s opinion from the Washington Post, you should have printed Robert Kagan’s sober appraisal of President Barack Obama’s policy in the June 17 Washington Post. Kagan is a conservative foreign policy analyst but is no neo-con like Krauthammer, Wolfowitz and Bolton. It is not “abject solicitousness” to call the clerical head of Iran the Supreme Leader; that is his official title, even if Mr. Krauthammer doesn’t like it.

Under President George W. Bush (his official title), we had name-calling and then a program to support regime change in Iran. Neither worked, although both programs were idealistic. The current Obama policy may not work either, but it’s worth trying. It’s hard-headed, realistic diplomacy based on the concept that you cannot have a dialogue with a regime if you call its leader a scoundrel and seek to overthrow him.

Mr. Krauthammer can be counted on to make partisan political comments against Obama. I do not recall him calling President Bush’s policies moral failures when he failed to embrace the democratic election of Hamas in Gaza or did a sword dance with the dictatorial leader of Saudi Arabia. Mr. Krauthammer’s geopolitical compass is rooted in opposition to Mr. Obama, no matter what.

Lois Jeffrey

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