But, but...We've DONE All That

Michael Ledeen has a great post at NRO reging the ongoing "debate" about what to do with Iran. In whole:

"I'll keep this short, in the interests of my impressive blood pressure. There are two "stories" about Iran/U.S. relations bubbling around. One has to do with direct talks, the other with Ahmadinejad's demand that we apologize for our many past sins.

I know this is spitting into the wind, but neither is news. There have been talks between Washington and Tehran ever since 1979 (the Revolution). EVERY president has authorized them. On the public record, there were nearly thirty such talks during the Bush years, and there are "private" channels as well. So there is nothing new in this, it is business-as-usual.

Iranian leaders have constantly demanded that we apologize, and we have. Clinton did it. Albright did it. And then, having obtained his ounce of humiliated flesh, Khamenei told them both to go to hell.Any story about talks with Iran or apologizing to Iran should
contain those historical facts. Otherwise, you can just do what most of the journalists do: Pretend the world was created fresh just before you woke up, so all that matters is how you feel about it all."

'NUF SAID! Why is it that people think Obama's approach is a "change" in our use of diplomacy? Just because there were no photo ops with our leader and theirs? The most significant line is the last one: ignoring this history is like "Pretend[ing] the world was created fresh just before you woke up, so all that matters is how you feel about it all." Was it Plato who said to not know what happened before you were born is to forever be a child? I thought Obama said it was time to put childish ways behind us. He was ushering in the age of maturity. History will bite every time. It would be good to remember it.