My selfish hope is that the events in Iran bring out positive - if not painless - changes in both that country and this one. In the Iranians, we Americans of all political colors see a sympathetic entity who has not just been wronged but outraged, by any objective standard.

It feels like 9/11 turned inside out. Rather than being challenged to come together to face a common threat, we're being challenged to come together to respond to a sudden and enormous wrongdoing in a place across the globe that, the day before, you and I might have had completely different opinions about.

I really hope we as a nation and a people can do a better job at meeting the challenge this time.