more advice for Bush

Slate’s Fred Kaplan is also calling for Bush to answer Ahmadinejad’s letter and mount a serious hearts-and-minds campaign. I don’t agree with everything Kaplan says—for one thing, this is not just a one-shot deal: answer the letter and move on—but I agree with this:

One thing he must do in any case—and that he has failed to do so far—is to persuade the rest of the world that the case against Iran is not part of some global campaign against Islam. Ahmadinejad’s letter paints precisely this picture. It’s time for Bush to paint his own picture. How better to do so than in the guise of a civilized reply to Ahmadinejad? The message would be grounded in a specific context, not appearing out of nowhere as vague propaganda. It would demonstrate that he’s willing to engage with Muslim leaders. And it might have a bonus of advancing a diplomatic way out of Iran’s nuclear standoff.