Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote a beautiful letter of good will to the American people yesterday. In spite of any ill feelings and suspicions that people harbor against him, I think he is an honest man who is trying to make his country and the world a better place. That’s more than I can say about our political leadership.

I find it interesting that while his previous letter in May was addressed to President Bush specifically, this letter is addressed to us (or, if you don’t want to count me as American, to you), the people of America. His reason for this distinction is laid out clearly: he is aware that the people who govern us in this country are not properly representing us as they swore to do. And he goes to great lengths to show that in spite of everything we hear from our government and media, there is a common ground that can be sought after if only there were honest dialogue between our two countries. Perhaps he has conceded that efforts to negotiate with our largely corrupt government is futile.

It strikes me that Iran, more than any other nation will—like the mother of an illegitimate child—bear the responsibility of the political chaos and social upheaval we started in Iraq. According to General Scheid, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld actively discouraged the top US strategists from planning the restorative “phase 4″ of the war. From the word “go”, we never intended to stay in Iraq and clean up after ourselves. Although I find this disturbing, it seems to align well with what others, like the BBC, have identified as a plan to govern by fear by means of an indefinite “war on terror.”

In these troubled times, I wish President Ahmadinejad the best and hope for more sensible dialogue between our two nations. Thank-you, President, for extending a hand of good will.