As elections loom, Washington looks inward. The world may not revolve around America’s political calendar, but dictators and rogues are sophisticated and factor it in as they seek advantage. When Nikita Khrushchev first met President John F. Kennedy, the Soviet premier joked, “You know, Mr. Kennedy, we voted for you.” When Kennedy asked how, Khrushchev related, “By waiting until after the election to return the pilot,” a reference to Francis Gary Powers, whose U-2 aircraft was shot down over the Soviet Union. Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was no different. He waited until President Jimmy Carter left office to release American hostages.
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