Mahmoud's Bite

Mideast: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Tehran will "clasp the hand" of America if we choose his terror regime over Israel. Meanwhile, we publicly endorse Iran's "right" to nuclear power. Something's wrong.

In his inaugural address nearly 10 months ago, President Obama famously told Iran "we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist." The dubiously re-elected Iranian president made clear reference to that imagery on Tuesday at an economic conference in Istanbul.

"We will clasp any hand that is extended sincerely toward us, but changes should be made in practice," Ahmadinejad said.

What kind of changes? Well, how about abandoning the state of Israel for starters? Then let's work on dumping the capitalist system.

"The support of both Israel and Iran can't go hand in hand," Ahmadinejad declared, warning that his Islamofascist regime will "wait for big and correct decisions to be made."

The day before, at the same conference of the economic and commercial committee of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Ahmadinejad blasted the un-Islamic qualities of global free markets, including the paying of interest on investments.

"Usury, which is entrenched in the capitalist system, is perhaps the main reason why the system has gone bankrupt," he said. "It is a way of accumulating capital without working. Usury, according to the Koran," Ahmadinejad argued, "is fighting with Allah."

That means Tehran believes virtually every commercial act taking place in a free Western economy is an affront to Islam. It sounds like America and Europe would have to make an awful lot of "big and correct decisions" before our domestic and trade policies fell in line with the moral standards of Ahmadinejad and the mullahs who pull his strings.

Up to now, all the West had to do to please terrorist states such as Iran was abandon the one firmly established free country in the Middle East -- Israel. Now it looks like we have to embrace some kind of theocratic mixed economy too.

Does this latest outrageous string of remarks from Tehran -- following the denial of the Nazi genocide of the Jews, threats to wipe Israel off the map, and numerous deceitful statements regarding the nature of the Tehran's nuclear program -- wake up our pointy-headed diplomats? Of course not.

There was U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns -- the highest-ranking career appointee in the State Department -- appearing before the Middle East Institute in Washington on Tuesday, where he irresponsibly declared that the U.S. recognizes "Iran's international right to peaceful nuclear power."

In an address that seemed inspired by Peter Sellers' performance as President Merkin Muffley in the film "Doctor Strangelove," Burns said, "We do not seek regime change. We have condemned terrorist attacks against Iran."

According to the chief foreign service officer of the U.S., "With our partners in the international community, we are ready for a serious dialogue with Iran ...With our partners in the international community, we are ready to move with Iran along a pathway of cooperation, not confrontation, of integration, not animosity."

Regime change is exactly what is needed for Iran. Burns and his fellow diplomats are falling hook, line and sinker for Iran's never-ending ploys to buy time for building a nuclear weapon.

When Tehran has one, it won't just be a bite on our extended hand that we suffer.