D'you suppose Iran would take him back?

Meet Shane Bauer, recently released by Iran on $500,000 ransom paid by the Sultan of Oman after great effort by Secretary Clinton and President Obama, who gave up his lead-from-behind policy long enough to affirm that Mr Bauer is not an American spy. Upon his release, the creep thanked none of these individuals but instead gave a shout-out to Hugo Chávez, Sean Penn, Noam Chomsky and Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens). He also said: "Two years in prison is too long and we sincerely hope for the freedom of other political prisoners and other unjustly imprisoned people in America and Iran," as if the two countries are morally equivalent. That being the case, Mr Bauer would do us all a favor by going back to Tehran. Blue skies! -- Dan Ford