‘And so I think it is not at all contradictory to say that there are deep strains of anti-Semitism in the core regime, but that they also are interested in maintaining power, having some semblance of legitimacy inside their own country, which requires that they get themselves out of what is a deep economic rut that we’ve put them in, and on that basis they are then willing and prepared potentially to strike an agreement on their nuclear program.’

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That is the sentence that jumps out at us in respect of President Obama’s latest interview with Jeffrey Goldberg. It is one of the most bizarre sentences ever spoken by a president of America. It reminds us of nothing so much as the ramblings of Mikhail Gorbachev. He knew Soviet Russia was a busted flush but couldn’t bring himself to say so. Mr. Obama acknowledges that he’s dealing with, in Iran’s leadership, a group of anti-Semites. So why is the President dickering to establish for them “legitimacy” in their own country?

Is “legitimacy” what is wanted by these unelected religious tyrants who are building an arsenal to use against the Jews? There was a time when we had a president who knew how to speak of Iranians who were holding our hostages. “Barbarians” was the word Ronald Reagan used, and the hostages were promptly released. They knew he had their number. What are the mullahs making of Mr. Obama’s constant yakking about how rational they are? Or of this statement to Mr. Goldberg by the President?

“Well the fact that you are anti-Semitic, or racist, doesn’t preclude you from being interested in survival. It doesn’t preclude you from being rational about the need to keep your economy afloat; it doesn’t preclude you from making strategic decisions about how you stay in power; and so the fact that the supreme leader is anti-Semitic doesn’t mean that this overrides all of his other considerations. You know, if you look at the history of anti-Semitism, Jeff, there were a whole lot of European leaders . . .”

Here Mr. Obama seems to catch himself lacking for moral equivalence, so he adds “and there were deep strains of anti-Semtisim in this country.” Here he is interrupted by Mr. Goldberg to the effect that all these anti-Semites make irrational decisions. The President responds: “They may make irrational decisions with respect to discrimination, with respect to trying to use anti-Semitic rhetoric as an organizing tool. At the margins, where the costs are low, they may pursue policies based on hatred as opposed to self-interest.”

Then the president warns: “But the costs here are not low, and what we’ve been very clear [about] to the Iranian regime over the past six years is that we will continue to ratchet up the costs, not simply for their anti-Semitism, but also for whatever expansionist ambitions they may have. That’s what the sanctions represent. That’s what the military option I’ve made clear I preserve represents.” Of course, Mr. Obama hopes the sanctions will soon be gone, and great sums of money will be flowing into an Iran run by anti-Semites who will then be our contract partners.