"Don't Call Us ... We'll Call You"

The prospect of having Liddy Dole "in country" apparently proved too much for Iran's mullahs.

Following the horrendous earthquake in Bam, Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) had the idea herself to lead a delegation of Americans there to assess the disaster and offer help. After all, she had been head of the American Red Cross. She knows how to deliver disaster relief while maintaining impeccable personal grooming.

So, according to the New York Times this a.m., she first suggested the idea to Secretary of State Colin Powell last Monday, then to Sen. Bill Frist, majority leader of the Senate. The story broke into public view yesterday in the Washington Post, at approximately the same time the Bush administration was announcing that such a visit had been politely turned down by the Iranians. Teheran did, however, pointedly leave the door slightly ajar for some sort of contact in the future. No mention, however, that they would prefer our Senator Dole as the official visitor.