Official Condolences Found Lacking in Churlishness and Bellicosity

 

Predictably, lots of internet hoopla is being raised over that short and simple statement of official condolences:

The United States expresses its official condolences for the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian, and other members of their delegation in a helicopter crash in northwest Iran. As Iran selects a new president, we reaffirm our support for the Iranian people and their struggle for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

That's what states say when a foreign head of state dies, plus the references to human rights and freedoms. It would be juvenile and ill-mannered for spokesmen to do something like an end zone dance. 

International organizations, such as the UN and NATO, do the same. The UN was officially saddened, and its statement reads “The Secretary-General expresses his sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and to the Government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Okay by me. 

The UN Security Council observed a moment of silence, which personally I'd have found awkward, but was in accordance with the protocol for such occasions. In the same way, a funeral isn't the time to start an argument or pick a fight no matter how justified. 

NATO expressed “Our condolences to the people of Iran for the death of President Raisi, Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian, and others who perished in the helicopter crash.” Again, okay by me, and sounds like it was written by an adult. 

That's how the death of adversaries used to be handled when Washington was run by serious people, like Eisenhower, for instance. He did not perform any silly-ass melodrama when Stalin died. To the contrary, he issued his Chance for Peace speech. 

If we had leaders of Eisenhower's ability today, they might conceive of something similar toward Iran. They don't measure up to Ike, of course, but at least some of them don't lower themselves to doing an end zone dance. 

Ike's act of statesmanship would not measure up to contemporary standards of adolescent dick-wagging.