Iran and Ran and Ran...

Before we go attacking another Middle Eastern country, let's pause over the long relationship that U.S. presidents have had with Iran. In their own words, as recorded by the scribes and urls of history:

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"The American people have the greatest respect and admiration for the Iranian people. Your Kings from Cyrus and Darius are known among those famous monarchs who have advanced the cause of humanity." - Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1959

“I like [the Shah] I like him, and I like the country. And some of those other bastards out there I don’t like." - Richard Nixon, 1971

"As an indication of Iran's economic importance to the world scene, I am impressed that civilian, non-oil trade between the United States and Iran is expected to total over $20 billion by 1980." - Gerald R. Ford, 1975

"Iran is an island of stability in one of the most troubled areas of the world." - Jimmy Carter, 1977

"I undertook the original Iran initiative in order to develop relations with those who might assume leadership in a post-Khomeini government." Ronald Reagan, 1987

"I sensed we were sending arms. And I sensed that we were trying to get hostages out, but not arms for hostages." - George H. W. Bush, 1988

“States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world. By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger." - George W. Bush, 2002

"Iran today is, in a sense, the only country where progressive ideas enjoy a vast constituency. It is there that the ideas that I subscribe to are defended by a majority." - Bill Clinton, 2005

"When you hear the inevitable critics of the deal sound off, ask them a simple question: do you really think that this verifiable deal, if fully implemented backed by the world's powers, is a worse option than the risk of another war in the Middle East?" - Barack Obama, 2015

"If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!" - Donald Trump, 2019

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