John Kerry for president

Not that I am an important person with lots of readers here (couple of hundreds at best), but as an Iranian whose country has been repeatedly mentioned during the U.S. presidential election campaigns, I officially announce that I'd vote for John Kerry, had I been an American citizen.

Now that global terrorism and U.S. national security is on the table in this election, I have to say that George W. Bush, with his business-oriented, arrogant, and short-sighted approach to the problem of Islamic fundamentalism, has not only failed to "defeat" terrorism, but also has effectively helped the ideology of muslim fundamentalism by not realizing the real roots of it, including widespread poverty, corruption and dictatorship in almost all muslim countries.

In the case of Iran, the Bush administration has harmed the ongoing and natural process of democracy in Iran by refusing to distinguish between unelected hardliners and elected moderates, and moreover, with its actionless and useless rhetoric of regime change, gave a good reason to hardliners to perform the heaviest crackdown on moderates in all level since the 1980s.

Although I'm not sure about the results of John Kerry's foreign policy, I believe his style of leadership, which is based on facts and unbiased analysis rather than faith and wishful thinking, could provide a deeper understanding of the problems that face the United States and the whole world.

He is also wise enough not to continue the unrealistic policy of regime change in Iran and hopefully, by adopting a new policy of politically and economically engagement, would change the way the Islamic Republic behaves in regard to its people, neighbors and the world.

The world can not afford four more years of ideology-driven blindness to reality.

P.S: Kerry does have a passport before he is elected president, by the way!