The Clinton policy for dealing with major dictatorships is now fully revealed in its magnificent simplicity - speak softly, throw away sticks, drop gracefully to one knee, present gifts and sing "Oh, Promise Me."
For some years, the policy has been no secret to the dictators or those Americans who bother to pay attention. The results have been productive, no denying that.For China it produced U.S. satellite technology to sharpen the aim of its missiles, for North Korea a growing trade in the export of missiles and for Iraq a free hand to slaughter all Iraqis who oppose Saddam Hussein and a plan to end sanctions and start again to rebuild its military power. For America it also produced something: a trash can full of broken promises.
But Wednesday, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright added a high shine to Clintonian appeasement policy by including under its sheltering arms the government of Iran. Yes, indeed, the Iran that executed thousands of its own citizens, held 53 Americans hostage for 444 days in the U.S. Embassy, the same Iran that boasts of its infiltration of Bosnia, that killed Jews in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and almost daily sends to Damascus a planeload of weapons and funds for terrorists around the world.
As arranged, President Clinton, the Great Crooner himself, joined in the song, asking for "a sense" that Iranians "are prepared" to turn away from terrorism and distribution of weapons. Just promise me a sense; national policy.
All this followed his decision not to apply sanctions against Russia and France for providing the money to develop an Iranian gas field. That was prelude and signal to Albright's offer to work with Iran on a "road map" to friendship if only Iran would behave better; never mind the murder and hate Iran has spread around the word.
The proposal was supposedly made because Iranians elected a "moderate" as president. But the United States and every other nation knows that political, military and government power is not held in Iran by President Mohammad Khatami.
Those powers are held by a regime of fundamentalist ayatollahs and their security armies, who turned the country into a hell for Iranians and the command post for international terrorism. As recently as March 25, Bruce Riedel, the top Iran officer for the National Security Council, said Iran was the "principal state sponsor" of terrorist groups in the Mideast.
The Clintonian rationalization will be that the choreographed overture to Iran is support for Iranians who voted for Khatami.
By pretending that the Iranian regime that lives by terrorism might end it, by absolving countries pouring money into the government and therefore its killers and floggers, the United States announces it will not try to punish or even hamper the regime, and despite the past, would help it.
Why does Clinton do these things - approve strengthening Chinese missile forces, permit Saddam to slaughter his people, build the prestige of the Iranian despotism, court dictators, and earn nothing much more for the United States than a good view of the backsides of our European allies as they walk away from us toward the trade troughs of tyrannies?
Let Clinton and his entourage conjure up phony rationalizations - but we know, we know and so does Congress. Money.
Like most of America's allies and partners, trade is his overriding goal in dealing with the dictatorships - trade, not freedom, not human rights, not principle. He has lined America up at China's trough, costing America $50 billion a year for the privilege, and is now jostling for a similar place at Iran's.