Yesterday, President Obama said the foundation of his engagement policy with Iran is that “we are willing to move forward without preconditions on the basis of mutual respect.”
Does there ever come a point, say, after about 30 years of hostage-taking, terror-mongering, bombing American Air Force personnel, killing American troops in Iraq, harboring al-Qaeda, abetting the Taliban, underwriting Hezbollah and Hamas, threatening to wipe Israel off the map, and chanting “Death to America,” when we entertain the possibility that maybe, just maybe, there’s a teensy-weensy chance that the “respect” here isn’t exactly “mutual”?
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Wiser Time 
How would the litany of U.S. “disrespect” look from the other side? How many petty grievances could Iranians use as evidence to discontinue diplomacy with the U.S.?
The prospect for diplomatic resolution of our looming conflicts, though slim, is a blessed one; one that should be preserved, even at the cost of North American (or Iranian) machismo.